With bear attacks on the rise, biologists study their every move

HARTLAND, Conn. -- In the woods of northern Connecticut, Paul Rego and his team of biologists led CBS News to a bear den.

Just under a fallen tree, there's a female black bear near the end of her winter hibernation. She's one of an estimated 500 black bears in the state. The men work their way in close and use a pole with a syringe attached to tranquilize her.

Last year, Rego's team put a GPS collar on the bear. The mission is to determine how bears travel, what types of habitats they're using and how often they reproduce.

Nestled with the mother were three cubs estimated to be three months old. The biologists will return in a year to check on whether they survived.

The bear population is expanding into areas developed by humans, and humans are developing on lands used by bears.

"For some people, having a bear walk through your yard can be concerning," Rego says. "We have bears break into houses, kill livestock, attack pets."

While black bears are generally not aggressive toward people, they have something called a false charge.

A CBS News cameraman found that out when he got a little too close to another bear living in a shed near the local airport.

Biologists hope to educate the public about how best to live in harmony with their wild neighbors who are here to stay.