Bears are now much more common in my part of Wisconsin. I live in a very hilly, wooded area of the state (western Wisconsin), and there are now actual bear colonies in these hills. Every now and then one them goes for a jaunt in residential neighborhoods or even the closest city.
A few years ago one young male bear ran into a nearby city park filled with picnickers. The bear panicked and ran up a tree. The DNR was called out to handle the situation. Since they didn't have a tranquilizer gun, the DNR people decided in the interests of public safety to shoot the bear. Many people were upset, but if the bear had run over some people while trying to escape, the city would have been sued.