Wisconsin DNR ends pursuit of black bear after Barron County attack

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(WTAQ-WLUK) — The Wisconsin DNR ended its trapping efforts after failing to find the black bear that attacked a Barron County woman earlier this month.

A black bear attacked a 69-year-old woman on July 12 while she was in the backyard of her rural residence near the town of Comstock. A bear cub was in the area of the attack.

Since the attack, wildlife officials maintained and monitored a series of live-traps and game cameras on the property.

The sow and the cub involved have not been seen since the attack.

“After two weeks of round-the-clock surveillance on the property and no additional signs of the sow involved, our current options are exhausted,” said Randy Johnson, DNR large carnivore specialist. “We’ve trapped and released two boar (male) black bears, two yearling bears and two sows determined to be unrelated to the incident. We also collected a dead sow found along a roadway about 1.6 miles from the site of the attack. Initial necropsy results are consistent with injuries from a vehicle collision and there is no evidence of it being the same bear linked to the attack.”

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Although trapping efforts have ceased, the DNR will continue to monitor the area.

The woman who was attacked is still recovering. She is in stable condition and doing well.