Michigan DNR biologists freed a young black bear by safely removing a plastic lid stuck on its head for two years.
MONTMORENCY COUNTY, Mich. — While most Michigan bears worry about finding their next meal, one in Montmorency County spent two years trying to get rid of his last one – or at least the container it came in.
Michigan DNR biologists discovered a young black bear who got his head stuck in a 5-inch hole in a plastic lid. They believe it’s been there for two years, since the bear was just a cub.
DNR officials are unsure how or where exactly the bear got its head stuck. Luckily, biologists were able to anesthetize the bear and safely cut the lid off.
The blue plastic lid is similar to the ones on 55-gallon drums used by hunters to bait bears or landowners to store materials that attract bears, like chicken feed, DNR staff say.
Baiting is a legal method for hunting bears in Michigan, officials say. However, bait containers can only be used on private land and may only have holes that are one inch or less or 22 inches or greater in diameter.
Landowners can do their part by recycling or crushing containers that do not fit within these parameters.
“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.”
The DNR was first alerted to the bear in 2023 when he was spotted on trail cameras. Staff members tried to track him down, but he became elusive over the next two years.
In late May, a Hillman resident spotted the bear in trail camera photos taken on his land and reported it to the DNR. With his permission, the DNR set up a baited enclosure and was able to catch the bear on June 2.
The bear weighed 110 pounds, which is fairly average for a 2-year-old bear that’s still growing, staff say. Though he does have significant scarring and an abscess on his neck, but otherwise seemed healthy.
The bear has since been released back onto the property.
Michigan is home to about 13,000 black bears, 1,700 of which are in the Lower Peninsula. Read more on how to protect bears on BearWise here.
