(WXYZ) — Crews from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources were able to remove a plastic lid from the neck of a young bear after around two years. It happened in Montmorency County.
According to the Michigan DNR, it isn't known where or how the male bear got its head stuck in a five-inch hole in the lid. It's similar to a lid that fits 55-gallon drums used by hunters to bait bears. The DNR said that baiting is a legal method for hunting bears, but bait containers can only be used on private land and may only have holes either 1 inch or less in diameter or 22 inches or greater in diameter.
DNR biologists at the Atlanta field office became aware of the bear in 2023 after trail camera photos of the then-cub with its head stuck in the lid. Officials say the bear would prove elusive over the next two years and occasionally appear on trail cameras but then disappear.
In late May, a resident spotted the bear and alerted the DNR. With the resident's permission, biologists set up a baited enclosure trap and caught the animal on June 2.
They were able to anesthetize the bear, cut off the lid and collect body measurements and other data.
“Container openings of a certain size can result in bears and other wildlife getting their heads or other body parts stuck in them, leading to injury or death,” said Cody Norton, the DNR’s bear, furbearer and small game specialist. “It’s important to remember that the opening diameter is more important than the size of the container.”
According to the DNR, the bear weighed 110 pounds which is standard for a 2-year-old bear, but had scarring and an abscess on its neck. Otherwise, the bear was healthy. It was released back into the wild.
