This is what has been happening in my area recently. Not my town, but a couple of towns over.
A black bear climbs a tree in Port Washington on Saturday. The bear was tranquilized and taken away by authorities.
Port Washington bear tranquilized, sent packing
By Sharif Durhams of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: June 5, 2010
A black bear sighted in Port Washington on Saturday morning was tranquilized and transported to northern Wisconsin.
Authorities received a call just before 10 a.m. from the 900 block of Noridge Trail, where residents said they saw a bear.
The bear was shot in a tree with a sedative about 11:40 a.m., said Lt. Tom Barbuch of the Port Washington Police Department.
It was unclear whether this is the same nomadic bear that's vexed Sheboygan County officials in the past week.
Authorities there tracked a 300- to 350-pound bear from near Random Lake south along the shoreline toward Oostburg, according to the Sheboygan Press.
On Saturday, a sharpshooter trained in shooting wildlife with tranquilizers was called to the scene, Barbuch said. Tires and inflatable bags were placed on the ground to soften the fall, he said.
Onlookers were cordoned off about two blocks away.
Earlier, John Kuntz, who lives on Briarwood Lane, said he was pruning bushes in his backyard about 10 a.m. and bending over when he saw something black flash out of the corner of his eye.
He backed toward his house and away from the bear and called to his wife through the patio door. "I wanted my wife to see him."
But the bear took off before his wife was able to snap a picture. About 15 people had gathered to look at the bear, scaring it off.
Wisconsinites have had a number of bear sightings this spring outside the animal's core range in Wisconsin. Sows with cubs are increasingly being found in central and southwestern Wisconsin.
Laurel Steffes, a spokeswoman for the Department of Natural Resources, said Saturday that meandering bears are usually young males that have been pushed out of their family group and are looking to establish a territory.
"This is the time of the year when they start wandering and checking things out," Steffes said.
The DNR doesn't tranquilize bears, she said, but relies instead on a unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In many cases, a sharpshooter is not needed, she said. If left alone, bears usually climb down from a tree and walk away.