‘Do you see that?’ Bear spotted in Slinger neighborhood
Neighbors spotted a bear wandering through backyards in Slinger, Wisconsin, early Tuesday morning, leaving residents stunned by the rare sighting in the area.
SLINGER, Wis. —
Residents in Slinger, Wisconsin, were surprised Tuesday morning when a bear was spotted wandering through backyards near Lovers Lane and Glacier Pass.
Holly Nowak captured the moment on video from her patio.
She described the sighting, explaining, “I was just up in the morning getting ready to go to work and, you know, walking out of my bedroom and out of the corner of my eye felt like I saw something outside through the patio door, and I looked, and it was a bear!”
Nowak, who has lived in southern Wisconsin her entire life, said this was a first. “Never. I’ve lived here my entire life. I have never,” she said.
The bear was seen in two locations within minutes of each other, including on another neighbor’s deck camera. The wooded area where the bear was spotted backs up to Interstate 41 and is near the Slinger water tower.
Randy Johnson, a large carnivore specialist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, previously told WISN 12 News bear sightings in southeastern Wisconsin are somewhat rare.
“The whole southeastern part of the state is not typical bear country. It’s not where you expected to see bears,” Johnson said.
The Department of Natural Resources has previously stated that Wisconsin is home to approximately 25,000 bears, and experts note that bear sightings in southern Wisconsin are happening more frequently.
Nowak said she tried to get the bear’s attention. “I tried making some sounds to get it to look my way, but it didn’t,” she said. “I really love animals, and it was just very, very exciting.”
Nowak alerted her neighbors to the bear sighting, which is one of the recommendations from the Department of Natural Resources.
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