Latest news with #CodyNorton
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Plastic lid finally removed from bear's neck after 2 years
The Brief A black bear was first spotted with lid on its neck in 2023; the bear was trapped and rescued in June 2025. The lid caused scarring but the bear was in better health than expected. The object may have been from from a bait container used by hunters or landowners. Michigan wildlife experts were finally able to remove a plastic lid that had been stuck around the neck of a young black bear – for two years. Images were released by Michigan's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and showed the bear with the lid on its neck. Other images show DNR staff with the immobilized bear after it was captured on June 2, the extensive scarring on its neck, and the bear after the lid was removed. What they're saying "It's pretty incredible that the bear survived and was able to feed itself," state bear specialist Cody Norton told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "The neck was scarred and missing hair, but the bear was in much better condition than we expected it to be." Officials also said it was unclear how the bear got his head stuck in the "5-inch hole in the lid." "The blue plastic lid is similar to those that fit 55-gallon drums used by hunters to bait bear and by landowners to store materials that can attract bears, such as chicken feed," DNR said. The bear weighed 110 pounds, which is fairly typical for a 2-year-old. Angela Kujawa, a wildlife biologist who was at the scene, said she wondered about the bear's ability to climb trees with the uncomfortable accessory. "And he probably laid more on his back or side when he was resting," she said. The backstory The bear first turned up on a trail camera as a cub in 2023 in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. After that, the DNR was on the lookout for the animal with a hard plastic lid around the neck. "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," Norton explained. RELATED: Dog comes face-to-face with bear inside Monrovia home The bear appeared again on a camera in late May, still wearing the barrel lid, and the DNR responded by setting a cylindrical trap and safely luring him inside. The bear was immobilized with an injection and the lid was cut off in minutes on June 3. The bear eventually woke up and rambled away. The Source This story was reported from Los Angeles. The Associated Press, Storyful contributed.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
A Michigan bear roamed the woods for two years with an awful lid on his neck. Not anymore.
Michigan wildlife experts finally were able to trap a black bear and remove a large lid that was stuck around his neck — for two years. 'It's pretty incredible that the bear survived and was able to feed itself,' state bear specialist Cody Norton said Wednesday. 'The neck was scarred and missing hair, but the bear was in much better condition than we expected it to be.' The bear first turned up on a trail camera as a cub in 2023 in the northern Lower Peninsula. After that, the Department of Natural Resources was on the lookout for the elusive animal with a hard plastic lid around the neck, Norton said. The bear appeared again on a camera in late May, still wearing the barrel lid, and the DNR responded by setting a cylindrical trap and safely luring him inside. The bear was immobilized with an injection and the lid was cut off in minutes on June 3. The bear eventually woke up and rambled away. Angela Kujawa, a wildlife biologist who was at the scene, said she wondered about the bear's ability to climb trees with the uncomfortable accessory. 'And he probably laid more on his back or side when he was resting,' she said. Norton said it's not precisely known how the lid got stuck on the bear's neck. Bear baiting is legal in Michigan, but the hole on a barrel lid typically must be large enough to avoid what happened to this bear. The bear weighed 110 pounds (49.9 kilograms), which is fairly typical for a 2-year-old. 'We were pleasantly surprised. It was still able to make a living like a pretty typical bear,' Norton said.
New York Times
12 hours ago
- General
- New York Times
Bear Whose Head Was Stuck for Two Years Is Freed
Once upon a time there was a black bear in the Michigan woods. He roamed, hibernated, searched for food and did whatever else a bear does in the woods. But the world of humans encroached on this bucolic setting. The bear got his head stuck in a plastic lid. And it would not come off. Thus began a two-year odyssey. The bear kept roaming with his new collar. He grew, only making the collar tighter, and while human beings wanted to help, he remained elusive. But fear not, dear reader, this story has a happy ending. The bear, then just a cub, was first spotted on trail cameras in 2023. His head was stuck in a 5-inch diameter hole in a blue plastic lid, the kind that might be found on a 50-gallon drum. Such drums are sometimes used by hunters: the containers are filled with food, luring the bears to where hunters await. But under Michigan law, baiting containers must have holes that are either less than one inch or greater than 22 inches in diameter. '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 of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, who carries the title of 'bear, furbearer and small game specialist.' 'It's important to remember that the opening diameter is more important than the size of the container,' he said. Plastic containers have been an ongoing problem for bears, with cases popping up in Florida, Wisconsin and Tennessee recently. All of these incidents involved bears with their heads stuck in cheese ball jars (and all of them were freed). And it's not just bears who become entangled in human detritus. An elk in Colorado carried a tire around his neck for two years (he, too, was eventually freed, though at the cost of his antlers). Over the past two years, the bear in Michigan was periodically seen on trail camera photos only to vanish again before help could arrive. Finally in May there was a sighting in Montmorency County in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. Officials trapped the bear earlier this month. The bear — 2 years old, 110 pounds and still growing — was sedated, and rescuers cut off the lid. Upon awakening, he was then released back into the wild, where his ramblings will now thankfully be less encumbered. Susan C. Beachy contributed research.
CBS News
17 hours ago
- CBS News
A Michigan bear roamed the woods for two years with an awful lid on his neck
Michigan wildlife experts finally were able to trap a black bear and remove a large lid that was stuck around his neck for two years. "It's pretty incredible that the bear survived and was able to feed itself," said state bear specialist Cody Norton. "The neck was scarred and missing hair, but the bear was in much better condition than we expected it to be." The bear first turned up on a trail camera as a cub in 2023 in the northern Lower Peninsula. After that, the Department of Natural Resources was on the lookout for the elusive animal with a hard plastic lid around the neck, Norton said. The bear appeared again on a camera in late May, still wearing the barrel lid, and the DNR responded by setting a cylindrical trap and safely luring him inside. The bear was immobilized with an injection and the lid was cut off in minutes on June 3. The bear eventually woke up and rambled away. Angela Kujawa, a wildlife biologist who was at the scene, said she wondered about the bear's ability to climb trees with the uncomfortable accessory. "And he probably laid more on his back or side when he was resting," she said. Norton said it's not precisely known how the lid got stuck on the bear's neck. Bear baiting is legal in Michigan, but the hole on a barrel lid typically must be large enough to avoid what happened to this bear. The bear weighed 110 pounds, which is fairly typical for a 2-year-old. "We were pleasantly surprised. It was still able to make a living like a pretty typical bear," Norton said.
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
Wild bear finally has plastic lid removed from neck after two years
Wildlife experts have successfully freed a black bear that had endured two years with a hard plastic lid trapped around its neck. The animal was first spotted as a cub in 2023 on a trail camera in Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula. Following that initial sighting, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) launched a sustained effort to locate the elusive creature. The recent trapping operation allowed specialists to safely remove the obstruction, bringing a long-awaited end to the bear's ordeal. 'It's pretty incredible that the bear survived and was able to feed itself,' state bear specialist Cody Norton said Wednesday. 'The neck was scarred and missing hair, but the bear was in much better condition than we expected it to be.' The bear appeared again on a camera in late May, still wearing the barrel lid, and the DNR responded by setting a cylindrical trap and safely luring him inside. The bear was anesthetized, and the lid was cut off on June 3. He eventually woke up and rambled away. Norton said it's not precisely known how the lid got stuck on the bear's neck. Bear baiting is legal in Michigan, but the hole on a barrel lid typically must be large enough to avoid what happened to this bear. It also isn't known how the 110-pound (49.9-kilogram) bear slept through winters wearing the uncomfortable accessory. 'We were pleasantly surprised. It was still able to make a living like a pretty typical bear,' Norton said.
