Residents of Slinger, just about 30 miles northwest of Milwaukee, were paid a visit by an unusual guest: a black bear.
Holly Nowak caught a glimpse of the bear strolling through her backyard, near the intersection of State 60 and Lovers Lane, around 5:40 a.m. June 2. She said she went out to her deck, where she captured the moment on video.
“I honestly had to think for a second where I am,” Nowak said in a text message. “Then excitement took over and I went out to the deck to see.”
Nowak said she tried to make some noise to see if the bear would turn its head, but the animal continued to walk along.
“My dog was right by my side and she didn’t even bark, but just stared,” she said in a text message.
Another Slinger resident, Deb Dierbeck, also reported seeing the bear, shortly before 5:30 a.m., from her home nearby at Nordic Lane. She said she was sitting in her living room, having her morning coffee and looking out the window, when the bear walked by.
“I could hardly believe what I was seeing,” Dierbeck said. She said she contacted the Slinger Police Department to ensure the safety of students at the nearby Slinger Middle School and some neighbor kids.
The Slinger Police Department shared a statement warning people of the sighting.
“If you see the bear in the Village, please do not approach it, and contact the Police Department,” a Facebook post from the Slinger Police Department reads.
While bear sightings in southern Wisconsin are uncommon, they aren’t unheard of.
Black bears are the only bear species found in Wisconsin. The state is home to about 24,000 bears, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – but those animals are primarily concentrated in the northern third of Wisconsin.
However, according to a 2022 new release from the Wisconsin DNR, black bear populations in northern Wisconsin have been gradually moving south in the last decade. In recent years, the animals have been spotted in Waukesha, Washington and Jefferson counties.
Early summer is also the time of year for increased bear sightings, according to the DNR. It’s breeding season, so males can be found searching for a mate. It’s a time of year that many young bears head out on their own for the first time.
Still, it’s not an everyday sight. Nowak said she’s lived in Slinger for more than 20 years and has never seen a bear before. Dierbeck, who has lived in Slinger for the past 17 years, said the same.
Dierbeck said she hopes the bear can return to a more suitable habitat.
“I just hope he’s safe,” she said. “I’m concerned for his safety more than anything.”
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Black bear spotted walking through residential area in Slinger
Reporting by Kelli Arseneau, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kelli Arseneau, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
