Bear!

Last week, three near neighbors whose homes back onto a natural resource area woke to find their birdfeeders and trash bins ravaged. No mere raccoon was strong enough to bend the poles and chew through the feeders. We had a bear in the neighborhood.

An estimated 24,000+ black bears live in Wisconsin, up from 9,000 in 1989. Most live in the north, far from us, but their range is expanding southward. They wander in late spring and early summer to find food and mates. In the past few years, bears have been seen in Madison, Middleton, Waunakee, and Windsor, practically shouting distance from my home.

How I’d love to see last week’s vandal! Preferably from a distance and through the window. I still recall with delight watching bears as a child in Yellowstone, before the park changed its practices to reduce bear/human contact and resultant injuries. With reluctance, I must admit it’s probably better for the neighborhood if our midnight visitor has moved on.

Image: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.