6/25/2009 6:04:00 AM
GAZETTE WEB EXCLUSIVE: Bear spotted Monday night in Baraboo, Wis.; bear presumably from Wisconsin Dells area
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Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials speculated this week that the bear spotted in Jo Daviess County, and later in Baraboo, Wis., is probably from the Lake Delton-Wisconsin Dells area, where bears are somewhat common.
Four days after his appearance in Jo Daviess County, a bear with a wild hair for traveling was spotted in Baraboo, Wis. The Madison, Wis., CBS affiliate WISC TV reported Tuesday, June 23, that officers from the Baraboo Police Department led the bear away from the city.
Baraboo police closed part of Walnut Street in Baraboo for about 10 minutes at about 9 p.m. Monday evening after the bear was sighted again, allowing them to once again lead it back into the woods. A photograph on the WISC TV website confirms that this is the same bear spotted on Thursday, June 18 in Jo Daviess County.
Jo Daviess County Sheriff Leo Hefel reported Deputy Mike Oellerich spotted the bear and photographed it Thursday morning.
The bear was first seen in Stockton, at east Center and Golf roads, at 7:30 a.m. Oellerich and a Stockton officer found the bear outside Stockton, at south Funston Road and U.S. 20 shortly after.
Oellerich estimates the bear is about 250-300 pounds, "bigger than what I want to tangle with."
It was last seen at 9 a.m. Thursday at Canyon Park and U.S. 20, headed north. The bear was moving "at a pretty good pace," said Oellerich.
By 4 p.m., it had crossed over the Wisconsin border. There were unconfirmed sightings of the bear back in Illinois late Thursday night, but a spotter in Darlington, Wis., saw the bear east of Darlington on Wisconsin 81 and Otter Creek Road, according to the Lafayette (Wisconsin) County Sheriff's Office.
The bear was also spotted in rural Mineral Point, Wis., on Saturday, June 20. After that, he appears to have slipped off bear-dar.
Officials from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources have encouraged those who encounter the bear to leave it alone, and let it return to its natural habitat, presumably somewhere in Wisconsin. It's possible the bear was looking for a mate, or for food.
Hefel asked that everyone be aware and very cautious. Bear spotters can also call the sheriff's office at 815-777-2141, should another bear make its way to Jo Daviess County.
"I never dreamed in 1,000 years I'd see one here," said Oellerich.
The bear facts
American black bears are the smallest American bears, and the most common.
Black bears are usually nocturnal, but can be active during the day. Bears are strong, agile, and quick. They swim and climb trees well. A bear can run 30 miles per hour in short bursts.
Bears eat a wide variety of foods. A partial list includes: grass, leaves, nuts, berries, buds, twigs, roots, corn, fruits, insects, plant sprouts, invertebrates, fish, carrion, fruit, succulent plants, eggs, birds, small mammals, and human garbage. Bears will dig up underground wasp nests to eat the insects, nest and all.
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