A black bear attack over the weekend in western Wisconsin sent a woman to a Twin Cities hospital with serious injuries, officials said.
The incident occurred about 2 p.m. Saturday near the town of Comstock in Barron County, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The victim, a 69-year-old woman whose identity has yet to be released, was able to call 911 despite her injuries and was soon taken by emergency responders to a hospital in nearby Cumberland.
“Due to the severity of the injuries, \[the woman was\] transferred to Regions Hospital in St. Paul,” a DNR statement read. “The extent of the injuries and condition is currently unknown.”
Personnel with various local, state and federal agencies “began looking for the bear, and at that time they located a cub in a tree indicating this involved a sow and cub,” the DNR statement continued.
The DNR says on its website that incidents of black bears attacking humans are “very rare” but do occur both in Wisconsin and across the country. No fatalities from encounters with wild black bears have occurred in recorded Wisconsin history.
“Black bears are generally secretive, not aggressive and tend to avoid humans as much as possible but bears are sometimes known to be aggressive if cubs are present and feel threatened,” the DNR’s website points out.
DNR wardens, U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services staff and a trained bear hound dog attempted to track the bear, but the search was unsuccessful, according to the DNR.