Latest news with #DNR
Yahoo
12 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
15 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.
Global News
18 hours ago
- General
- Global News
Black bear finally freed of lid that was stuck on its neck for 2 years
For at least two years, a Michigan black bear traipsed around the forest, a blue barrel lid wrapped around its neck, as state wildlife experts tried to track it down. The bear was first spotted on a trail camera as a cub back in 2023, but it remained elusive. It occasionally turned up on other trail cameras, but disappeared just as quickly. View image in full screen A trail camera on private property in Hillman, Mich., captured this photo of a black bear with a lid stuck on its neck. Handout / Private Resident via DNR The uncomfortable saga came to an end this spring, according to a press release chronicling it, when a resident in Montmorency County spotted the 110-pound bruin on a trail camera roaming his wooded acreage and alerted the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Story continues below advertisement With the landowner's permission, the DNR set up a cylindrical trap and lured the bear inside. Once captured, staffers were able to sedate the animal and free it from its plastic burden before it woke up and was released back to the woods. View image in full screen In this image provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, DNS staffers, from left, Angela Kujawa, Sherry Raifsnider and Miranda VanCleave work to remove a lid from the neck of an immobilized black bear near Hillman, Mich., on June 3, 2025. Michigan Department of Natural Resources via AP View image in full screen In this image provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, wildlife biologist Angela Kujawa collects data from an immobilized black bear after a lid was removed from the animal's neck near Hillman, Michigan, on June 3, 2025. Michigan Department of Natural Resources via AP 'It's pretty incredible that the bear survived and was able to feed itself,' state bear specialist Cody Norton told The Associated Press. 'The neck was scarred and missing hair, but the bear was in much better condition than we expected it to be.' Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen In this image provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the neck of a black bear is shown after a lid was removed after two years on June 3, 2025, near Hillman, Mich. Michigan Department of Natural Resources via AP According to the DNR, the blue lid matched those used to cover large 55-gallon barrels, which are popular among rural landowners and hunters to hold grain and feed used to attract bears. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Though Michigan permits bear baiting, the law limits the use of bait containers to private land and requires that any openings be either under one inch or over 22 inches wide. In this case, while it's not clear how or where the bear got the lid wrapped around its neck, the opening did not comply with local bear baiting laws. View image in full screen A DNR drone photo of the black bear after the lid was removed from its neck. Michigan Department of Natural Resources '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 said in a statement.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Iowa DNR shares river safety tips
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has important safety tips for Iowans looking to spend time on Iowa's waterways. Todd Robertson, a river programs water trails coordinator for the Iowa DNR, said that the number one thing Iowans need when on the river is a life jacket. 'It goes down to the very basic number one, which is wearing the life jacket, the life jacket's made for a reason. It does a certain thing for you, and that is it keeps your head above water. It keeps you buoyant, because if you dump your boat in a river with all the current and you don't have your life jacket on, it is so easy to get pulled down underneath the water,' Robertson said. Republican Senators who forced pipeline vote say fight for landowner rights is not over The DNR also recommends that Iowans avoid going on the river after heavy rain. 'You just can't go start paddling on a river the day after a super heavy rain. And the reason for that is because all the debris washes in from the banks and you get wood piled on top of wood. And we call those strainers and those are really deadly,' Robertson said. Robertson said that strainers can flip boats and trap paddlers. 'So you just have a big mess of wood. The only problem with that is it's like a spaghetti strainer. The water is going through the strainer and it's sucking the water through. But if you get your boat and your body up against that, you can slip and you can actually get sucked underneath that. And if that happens, that's real bad news,' Robertson said. To learn more about river safety, visit the Iowa DNR's website. Iowa News: Iowa DNR shares river safety tips Republican Senators who forced pipeline vote say fight for landowner rights is not over Body of missing fisherman recovered from Three Mile Lake in Union County WHO 13 Farm Report: Wednesday, June 18th Small town, big heart, big canvas: Iowa community to unveil new mural Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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.
