The number of bear sightings in Connecticut grows yearly and our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds are full of people across Nutmeg Nation posting pictures of bears rummaging through their garbage cans, ripping down bird feeders and sauntering across lawns. Want to get a ton of likes? Post that photo of a bear in your pool.

They look quite cute in most of these photos but these beautiful animals are large and potentially dangerous. As we learned up close, they are fast and powerful creatures with sharp claws and big teeth.

WTNH photographer Tom Parent and I went out with state biologists as they planned on waking up a hibernating bear, that was taking a winter nap way too close to humans.

Watch our report here: https://www.wtnh.com/on-air/thisweekinconnecticut/this-week-in-ct-bear-encounters-throughout-the-state/