COMSTOCK, Wis. (WFRV) – Following a black bear attack that left one woman hurt two weeks ago in northwest Wisconsin, DNR officials say they have exhausted all options in trapping the involved bear.
According to a release from the DNR, the department has concluded its efforts to trap the black bear involved in an incident on July 12 that left 69-year-old Karen Frye hurt in her town of Comstock backyard.
11-year-old girl dies after falling from boat on a Wisconsin lake
DNR officials report that they, in partnership with the Barron County Sheriff’s Office and the USDA-Wildlife Services, maintained and monitored a series of live-traps and game cameras on the property where the incident took place, but have not seen the sow and cub involved in the attack since the incident occurred.
After two weeks of round-the-clock surveillance on the property and no additional signs of the sow involved, our current options are exhausted. 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.
Randy Johnson, DNR large carnivore specialist
Following the attack, Frye was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. She is currently in stable condition, is recovering, and “is doing well.”
Despite efforts to trap the involved bear, the DNR is expected to continue to monitor the area.
