HILLMAN, Mich. – Michigan Department of Natural Resources biologists recently removed a plastic lid that had been stuck on a black bear’s neck for about two years.
The agency first learned about the bear in 2023 after biologists at the DNR’s Atlanta field office saw the bear with the lid stuck around its neck. At the time, the bear was a cub.
Since then, the bear was occasionally seen on trail cameras, but would disappear after about a day, according to the DNR.
Then, in May, a Hillman man saw the young bear on a trail camera on his wooded property.
He reported it to the DNR, and with his permission, they set up a trap and safely caught the bear on June 2.
Biologists said the bear had gotten its head stuck in a 5-inch hole in a blue plastic lid that appears to be from a 55-gallon drum.
These drums are used by landowners to store materials like chicken feed to attract bears and by hunters to bait bears, according to the DNR.
Baiting is a legal way for Michiganders to hunt bears, but the following rules are in place:
- People can only use bait containers on private land
- Holes in bait containers can only be 1 inch or less in diameter or 22 inches or greater in diameter
The state wildlife biologists in Montmorency County anesthetized the bear and cut the lid off of it.
They learned that the bear weighs 110 pounds, which is typical for a 2-year-old bear.
In addition, they discovered that the bear had an abscess and scarring on its neck. Other than that, the bear appeared to be healthy.
The bear was then released back onto the property it was found on after the anesthesia wore off.
The DNR encourages landowners to recycle or crush empty food containers, like cheeseball tubs, and secure garbage to prevent this from happening to bears.
“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.”