By Wausau Pilot & Review staff
A black bear was spotted Wednesday in a Schofield residential neighborhood, about two blocks from the Schofield Post Office building.
Bears tend to be attracted to residential areas by the smell of human food, Wild Safe BC reports. Residents should remove outdoor food from their property and ensure proper storage of your garbage. Keeping garbage indoors until collection day can also help prevent attracting bears and other wildlife.
Other tips: clean your barbecue grills, don’t store food outside (including in freezers), and do not place bones, cooked food, eggshells or fish in compost. And always feed your pets indoors and store their food inside.
Remember, bears are opportunistic animals and want to consume whatever is readily available to them.
Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources officials say never feed a bear.
“If a bear regularly associates you or your property with food, the well being of both people and bears is compromised,” the DNR website reads.
