WI DNR Confirms The Hop Has Laid Eggs On Bradford Beach
MILWAUKEE – In a major milestone for Wisconsin’s conservation programs, the Department of Natural Resources has confirmed that The Hop has successfully laid eggs for the first time in the wild.
The Hop was reintroduced to Milwaukee in 2018, sixty years after streetcars were last seen in the county. The vehicles have long eluded capture, despite increasing interest in streetcar husbandry. In early March, DNR biologists witnessed The Hop gently laying and subsequently burying a clutch of eggs in the sands of Bradford Beach.
After laying her eggs, The Hop returned to the Third Ward – never to see her offspring again.
“This is a great day for Wisconsin,” says Ricardo Klement, spokesperson for the DNR. “These gentle, lumbering beasts have returned to their native landscape and are now freely breeding.” It should be noted that the eggs are under threat of the streetcar’s natural predator – speeding vehicles.
“With careful management they can restore their population and historical range throughout Milwaukee County,” continued Klement.
Officials from the DNR advise residents not to approach streetcars during nesting season, as they may become aggressive.
