Police: Bear 211 put down after being hit by car in Easton

July 28, 2021Updated: July 28, 2021 10:35 a.m.

A bear who became known for wandering backyards in Trumbull was hit by a driver in Easton, Conn., that fled Monday, police said. The bear, who was seriously hurt, had to be put down. The image shows a file photo of a bear running through a yard in Bethel, Conn. This image is not the bear that was hit and killed in Easton.

Bethel Animal Control / Contributed

EASTON — A bear, tagged with number 211 and known for wandering backyards in Trumbull, was hit by a car Monday night and had to be put down, according to police officials.

The police department was notified of a reported black bear that had been hit by a motor vehicle around 6:20 p.m. on Route 136 near Wilson Road, Chief Richard Doyle said.

He said arriving officers found a bear — with ear tags No. 211 from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection — suffering from serious injuries. Doyle said the bear had to be put down.

DEEP was notified and responded to remove the bear. The driver of the vehicle that hit the animal fled before police arrived.

The bear, which Doyle said weighed around 125 pounds, is the same one seen wandering Trumbull earlier this year.

But a Facebook group — with nearly 5,000 members — has tracked Bear 211’s movements throughout Fairfield County since the end of May, when the group was created.

Earthplace, a nature discovery and environmental learning center in Westport, will host a free talk with a bear expert on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Registration is encouraged at earthplace.org.

Wildlife in Crisis, a volunteer organization that helps wildlife, based in Weston, said in a post on Facebook that Bear 211 was “beloved by residents in Westport, Weston and surrounding towns.”

“He swam in pools, he sat on porches, he lingered on lawns and he roamed,” Wildlife in Crisis said. “He touched the hearts of many during his short time on this earth.”