This mother bear recovered after nearly dying when a cow bone became lodged in her throat May 17 at the Lake Tomahawk residence of Patricia Torres and Tony Milia
Patricia Torres of Lake Tomahawk didn't really think twice when she awoke to find a bear choking to death in her yard. She risked her life dislodging a bone from the animal's throat in order to save it.
As a result of the recreational feeding of deer, squirrels and birds, Torres inadvertently invited the company of a sow bear with two cubs May 17. While investigating the yard in the early morning hours, the sow discovered a cow bone Torres had purchased for her dog, Bogie, from the Lake Tomahawk Meat Market.
Torres was awakened at 5:30 a.m. to the sound of the bear in distress only 15 feet from her bedroom window.
"She was making a really weird gurgling noise like she was choking," Torres said. "When I looked, she was lying down and I could see a lot of saliva."
She called the Oneida County Sheriff's Department, who in turn contacted the Department of Natural Resources. Before warden Jim Jung arrived on the scene, Torres made a repeat call and indicated she was going to take care of the problem herself.
She lives with her fiance, Tony Milia.
"I told Tony, 'Honey, I gotta do it, man. I cannot let this bear die in my yard," Torres said.
Tony replied, "Do what you gotta do."
A self-proclaimed city girl who moved from Los Angeles to Madison 13 years ago, then to Lake Tomahawk in March, Torres, 47, hasn't had much interaction with wildlife. She'd never even seen a black bear until she moved here.
In spite of that, or perhaps because of it, she donned a pair of leather gloves, put her eyeglasses on and made her way outside, where she found the bear unresponsive.
"Except she was making a noise like she was trying to get air," Torres said. "So I just shoved my hand in her mouth until I could feel an object, which I grabbed and yanked out. I could tell it was my dog's bone when I got it closer. Thank God I didn't break any of her teeth."
As the sow very slowly recovered, Torres brought her some water.
"She was totally exhausted. I have no idea how long she'd been there like that," Torres said. "Then the DNR man finally showed up right when she was coming to, so I crept over to his truck to make sure we were all quiet. I didn't want to disturb her anymore."
Jung arrived on the scene shortly after 6 a.m. He, Torres, Milia and even Bogie the dog continued to observe the bear from inside the residence.
The bear left the yard briefly but re-entered and began looking up a tree.
"That's when I figured out there was probably at least one cub up in that tree," Jung said. "The sow then went up the tree. I recommended everyone vacate the premises and allow the bear time to calm down, gather her family and leave."
Jung left and Torres and Milia grabbed their fishing poles and went fishing for a few hours. When they returned, the bear and cubs were gone.
Right or wrong?
Not everyone would have made the bold (and dangerous) decision Torres made that day.
"I feel in her mind she thought she was doing the right thing, and thankfully it worked out that time," Jung said. "But boy, it is so fortunate she didn't get hurt."
Jung estimated the bear to be of average size - 150 to 175 pounds.
"Even at that size, they're so strong, with powerful jaw strength, great muscle mass and a sow bear especially with cubs will be very protective," Jung said. "If she (the bear) had been more alert, she wouldn't have perceived what (Torres) was doing as help.
"It's my hunch that the bear had so little oxygen that she was blacking out."
It could be argued that the entire situation could have been avoided if there had been no food source available on the property.
Jung instructed Torres to cease recreational feeding for 30 days.
Torres complied for the time allotted and has begun feeding again.
"I don't mind the bears or the wildlife," Torres said. "We're not gangsters here. I'm allowed give a gallon of corn a day, so that's what I do and I have a salt block. The deer still come around."
When asked July 29 if she'd had anymore bear activity, she didn't hesitate.
"Guess what? Last night we had some company. I don't know if it's the same ones or not, but there was a mama and two cubs," Torres said. "You know, we don't really have any close neighbors and the closest ones don't mind the bears any more than we do."
The DNR's role
A 2008 bear population study estimated Wisconsin's current bear population at between 26,000 and 40,000 bears. This is up from 1989, when the population was estimated at 9,000. The newer population study is scheduled to be repeated in 2011 to check against the 2008 results.
DNR manages bear population size through regulated hunting. Recently, biologists have increased the number of bear harvest permits in response to the apparent increase in bear numbers. Ninety-one percent more harvest permits are available for the 2010 bear season than were allotted for the 2008 bear season.
The DNR plans to offer the public opportunities to comment on what is a desirable number of bears in each of the state's bear management regions in the coming year.
Public comments will be factored into a new bear management plan. The DNR is also developing an online reporting form where the public can report bear sightings. The new feature will be launched in spring of 2011 when bears are once again actively dispersing, searching for new territories.
Bears can quickly learn to associate humans with food and can become a nuisance. It is illegal to feed bears in Wisconsin.
DNR contracts with U.S. Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Services to handle nuisance bear complaints.
According to the DNR, preventing problems from developing is the most effective solution. Moving or "trans-locating" a bear is not. Not only is it expensive, it is oftentimes not the best thing for a bear.
"Overall, bears are pretty docile animals. I don't think they like human interaction," Jung said. "But they can smell a food source from 1/2 mile away, and if there's a food source involved, a bear will come in and deal with barking dogs and deal with human interaction because they're hungry."
Jung said those having issues with bears should stop recreational feeding, remove outdoor garbage, keep a clean barbecue grill with no food refuse on or in it and take in dogfood dishes at night.
