Is it just me or is Connecticut's wildlife population becoming a bit more uptight?

It appears we're hearing more and more reports of animals lashing out at humans and their fellow wildlife. An article on ctpost.com. recently caught my attention regarding various Connecticut wildlife and their rude behavior towards us and each other. Let's recap:

  1. Two Monroe residents reported seeing a mountain lion wandering around back on Sept. 24 but Monroe Animal Control couldn't turn up any evidence confirming the report.
  2. A small dog was injured in New Canaan by a coyote back on Sept. 22. The coyote grabbed the dog but the owner made enough noise to scare the coyote enough to drop the dog.** Earlier this month two goats were malled and killed in Killingworth at a private residence when a tagged black bear got into their pen.
  3. An 84-year-old Hamden woman was attacked by a raccoon and bit on the hand as she was gardening earlier this month. The woman's daughter was able to shoo the raccoon away.
  4. The most recent attack took place on a hiking trail near Lake Zoar when a Southbury man was 'knocked down' by a black bear and had to be transported to the hospital for minor injuries. The hiker said he was 'not attacked' and would continue to hike in the same area.

Something's not right here. What does he mean when he said he "wasn't attacked?" A black bear doesn't just knock somebody over, he attacks. Were the bear and the hiker fighting over a granola bar? Maybe they were having a contentious political discussion. The hiker said it wasn't a bear attack and he would return and hike that same area again. What's the deal? Are the two of them best buddies now? There's something not right in the forest.

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