Bear Perched In Tree Captivates Residents Of Wisconsin City For Hours

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI — Several hours of curiosity quietly came to an end Wednesday night in a small central Wisconsin city when a big black bear climbed down a tree and ambled away. The errant bear, estimated to weigh somewhere between 200 and 300 pounds, had been perched in the large pine tree in Wisconsin Rapids since about 9 a.m. when, scared by semis and other traffic, it sought refuge 50 feet above the noisy action.

The bear was apparently out for a stroll in Wisconsin Rapids near Lincoln Street when it was spooked by the Expressway traffic, the city police department wrote on its Facebook page. Police called in the ranking black bear experts at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for advice about what to do. There are about 28,000 black bears in Wisconsin, so the folks at the DNR are well-versed in what to do and what not to do when encountering them.

The DNR’s advice was simply this: Don’t fret, and leave the bear alone.

“The DNR warden advised that the bear might stay in the tree until tonight,” the Wisconsin Rapids Police Department wrote on Facebook in a post titled “I Climbed This Tree With My Bear Hands.”

“If you happen to be in that area, please remember bears are wild animals,” the post continued. “Just leave it alone and eventually he/she will climb down and wander way.”

That’s exactly what happened.

Late Wednesday, the police department posted an update, saying the bear had retreated from its sanctuary and was last seen headed west toward the river. “We wish him a safe journey,” the police department wrote.

Thus ended a quiet drama that for hours had captivated Wisconsin Rapids residents by the dozens. The bear sat stoically in the tree for the most part, apparently not flinching much when curiosity seekers zoomed in with cellphone cameras and snapped photos that showed up on social media.

“He’s not camera-shy,” Nikki Rucinski, a 37-year-old Wisconsin Rapids resident told the Daily Tribune. “There have been lots of people coming by.”

Police were notified a bear was in the city about 6 a.m., Wisconsin Rapids Police Lt. Brian Krzykowski told the newspaper, noting that an officer was in pursuit in the high-traffic area near the Expressway when the bear scrambled up the tree.

Do Not Feed The Bears

Black bears have typically roamed primarily the far northern third of Wisconsin, but their burgeoning numbers have pushed them farther south, according to the DNR website. The bear in the Wisconsin Rapids tree was considered large — mature males typically weigh between 250-300 pounds, while adult females are smaller in the range of 120-280 pounds — but some hunters in the state have registered bears weighing 600 or 700 pounds, the DNR said.

Black bears are by nature shy and solitary, but they’re also opportunistic food hunters in the spring after emerging from their winter dens. Most human-bear conflicts occur when hungry bears are prowling for food, and there are several things people can do to reduce the likelihood one will show up at their doorstep:

• Make bird feeders inaccessible to bears by hanging them at least 10 feet off the ground, and 5 feet away from tree trunks, or on a limb that will not support a bear (you can still refill the feeder easily by using a pulley system).
• Consider taking bird feeders down at the end of winter (mid-April) when bears emerge from their winter dens. During spring and summer, bring feeders inside at night, a time when bears frequent stations. Clean up spilled bird seed below feeder stations. If you see a bear at a bird feeder during the day, take the feeder down and discontinue all feeding for at least two weeks.
• Keep your garbage cans tightly closed, and indoors if possible. Pick up loose or spilled garbage so that it doesn’t attract bears. Occasionally clean out your garbage cans with ammonia to make them less attractive to bears.
• Don’t feed the bears. Intentional feeding will create a bear that is habituated to humans and may become a nuisance to you and other people in the area. The bear will not forget the feeding experience and will tend to get more demanding with time.
• Bring in pet food at night.
• Clean up and put away outdoor grills after you are done using them for the day.
• When camping, don’t eat, or store food in your tent. The smell of food may attract bears. Store food and cooking utensils away from your campsite, preferably in a vehicle or hung in a tree at least 10 feet off the ground and 5 feet out on a limb that will not support a bear.
• Dispose of scraps in closed containers away from your campsite, not in the fire.
• Keep your campsite clean.

Photo via Wisconsin Rapids Police Department Facebook page