Officer stands by for nuisance bear

A nuisance bear in the southern Park Falls area was enough of a bother that Park Falls Police Department stood by to guard after advising residents to remove garbage, bird feed and other food sources that have kept the bear in the area, according to police response logs.

Officer Dominick Koller responded to a bear complaint while on patrol on July 16. The caller stated that the bear, described as a yearling and weighing approximately 100 pounds, charged a neighbor the previous evening and was fearful someone may be injured as the bear was returning to the neighborhood more frequently.

Koller contacted the U.S. Forest Service to inform them of the matter. The agent stated there was a live trap set near Super One Foods where multiple complaints were made about the bear there as well.

Koller then directed his attention to the neighbors and advised they remove trash and other food sources. Some of the residents were fearful of approaching the wood line and so Koller stood by with his firearm while the residents helped clear their yards of anything that would encourage bears to return.