Bears in Minnesota: Should You Be Worried?

Black bears were in the news today after a young bear attacked a woman in Siren, WI, midway between the Twin Cities and Duluth. The woman met the bear by her garage, and was knocked down by it, sustaining minor injuries. The same bear had been seen several times at the home on recent evenings, and even entering the house on one night, and seemed to be unafraid of people.

There are about 30,000 black bears in Minnesota and around the same number in Wisconsin, but attacks on people are rare - less than five in the last ten years.

Other metropolitan areas like Los Angeles have bears visiting houses in town, but the Twin Cities is a little too far south for most bears. The black bears' habitat covers much of northern Wisconsin and the northeast of Minnesota, including Duluth and many popular camping and vacation spots.

Most black bears stay away from humans, but can be enticed to homes and campsites for food. And almost all human-bear interactions are caused by bears attracted to food or garbage. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said that people in neighboring homes in Siren were intentionally feeding bears.

How can you avoid bears, and what should you do if you see or meet a bear? Should you climb a tree? Actually, black bears can climb trees too. If you are planning a trip to bear country, read up on bear safety tips for camping and hiking, which include advice on what to do in the unlikely event of a bear attack. The most important advice? Prevent bears coming to you in the first place by being careful with food and trash, and never feed a bear.

If you want to see bears in the wild, the much safer alternative is to visit the Vince Shute Wildlife Center in the Northwoods on Minnesota, near Orr, a protected area of woods home to many bears. The center has a viewing platform to observe bears in their natural habitat.