After spending two years with a plastic lid around its neck, a young black bear is finally free
Biologists at the DNR’s Atlanta field office were first alerted to the bear’s predicament in 2023 through trail camera photos showing a cub with his head stuck in the lid. He proved elusive over the next two years, occasionally appearing in trail camera photos before disappearing after a day or two.
However, a Hillman resident captured the bear on their trail cameras in late May, and with their permission, DNR biologists set up a baited enclosure trap. The bear was safely caught on June 2, and anesthetizing the creature, they cut the lid off its neck and collected measurements and other data.
The DNR wasn’t able to determine how the young bear got its head stuck in a five-inch hole in the lid, nor where the lid came from, however a statement from the department noted the lid is similar to those on 55-gallon drums hunters use to bait bear, or that store materials like chicken feed that can attract bears.
While bear baiting is legal in Michigan, bait containers can only be used on private land and holes in those containers must have a diameter or one inch or less, or 22 inches or greater. The DNR encourages landowners to recycle or crush containers like empty cheeseball tubs, and to follow the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies’ “BearWise” advice on securing their garbage.
“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,” Cody Norton, the DNR’s bear, furbearer and small game specialist said in a statement.“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 young bear that is still growing. Apart from significant scarring and an abscess on its neck, the bear seemed healthy and was released once the anesthesia wore off.