logo
#

Latest news with #CodyNorton

Black bear free from the plastic stuck around its neck for two years
Black bear free from the plastic stuck around its neck for two years

Daily Mail​

time23-06-2025

  • Daily Mail​

Black bear free from the plastic stuck around its neck for two years

A baby black bear has had a plastic lid removed from its neck after roaming around with it for two years. The two-year-old bear was first spotted in 2023 when it was a small cub on trail camera photos with the lid around its neck in Michigan. Biologists at the Department of Natural Resources had attempted to locate the cub for years, but the black bear proved elusive. The cub occasionally popped up on trail cameras over the last two years. A breakthrough came in May when a resident of Hillman, a town outside of Lewiston with a population under 1,000, spotted the bear. The resident alerted biologists, and the Department of Natural Resources set up a trap to catch the bear. A baited enclosure captured it on June 2, and scientists gave it anesthesia to relieve the bear from the plastic lid. The black bear only weighed 110lb. The animal had suffered significant scarring and had an infection on its neck but the department said it was healthy otherwise. Scientists later released the black bear into the wild, free at last. Cody Norton of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said the bear's suffering was a lesson to practicing safe bear baiting methods. Bear baiting is legal in the state on private land, but hunters are prohibited from using containers between one and 22 inches in diameter, according to the DNR. Scientists didn't know how the bear got stuck, but noted that the lid seemed to fit the containers that hunters use to lure black bears. Hunters put chicken feed or other attracting materials in the containers to lure the bears before killing them. Norton also noted that the bear could've got stuck after rummaging through 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,' Norton said. The DNR advises those who live in areas with a high black bear population to securely dispose of food, garbage, and recycling. Leaving pet food outdoors, failing to clean outdoor grills, and placing bird feeders outside can also attract bears.

A Michigan bear roamed the woods for two years with an awful lid on his neck. Not anymore.
A Michigan bear roamed the woods for two years with an awful lid on his neck. Not anymore.

Yahoo

time23-06-2025

  • 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.

Baby black bear with plastic lid stuck on its neck for TWO YEARS is finally freed
Baby black bear with plastic lid stuck on its neck for TWO YEARS is finally freed

Daily Mail​

time22-06-2025

  • Daily Mail​

Baby black bear with plastic lid stuck on its neck for TWO YEARS is finally freed

A baby black bear who had been roaming around with a plastic lid over its neck for two years has finally been freed. The two-year-old bear was first spotted in 2023 when it was a small cub on trail camera photos with the lid around its neck in Michigan. Biologists at the Department of Natural Resources have attempted to locate the suffering cub for years, but the black bear proved elusive. The cub occasionally popped up on trail cameras over the last two years, just to disappear a day later. A breakthrough came in May when a resident of Hillman, a town outside of Lewiston with a population under 1,000, spotted the trapped bear. The resident alerted biologists, and the Department of Natural Resources set up a trap to catch the bear. A baited enclosure captured the black bear on June 2, and scientists gave it anesthesia to relieve the bear from the plastic lid. The black bear's measurements were and it only weighed 110 pounds. The animal had suffered significant scarring and had an infection on its neck from the lid, but the department said it was healthy otherwise. After the anesthetics wore off, scientists released the black bear into the wild, free at last. Cody Norton of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said the bear's suffering was a lesson to practicing safe bear baiting methods. Bear baiting is legal in the state on private land, but hunters are prohibited from using containers between one and 22 inches in diameter, according to the DNR. Scientists didn't know how the bear got stuck, but noted that the lid seemed to fit the containers that hunters use to lure black bears. Hunters put chicken feed or other attracting materials in the containers to lure the bears before killing them. Norton also noted that the bear could've gotten stuck after rummaging through 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,' Norton said. The DNR advises those who live in areas with a high black bear population to securely dispose of food, garbage, and recycling. Leaving pet food outdoors, failing to clean outdoor grills, and placing bird feeders outside can also attract bears.

A Michigan bear roamed the woods for two years with an awful lid on his neck. Not anymore.
A Michigan bear roamed the woods for two years with an awful lid on his neck. Not anymore.

CTV News

time22-06-2025

  • General
  • CTV News

A Michigan bear roamed the woods for two years with an awful lid on his neck. Not anymore.

DNS staffers work to remove a lid from the neck of an immobilized black bear near Hillman, Michigan, on June 3, 2025. (Michigan Department of Natural Resources via AP) 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. Ed White, The Associated Press

Plastic lid finally removed from bear's neck after 2 years
Plastic lid finally removed from bear's neck after 2 years

Yahoo

time19-06-2025

  • 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.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store