SerpApi.Org
A woman in New Mexico has captured the bizarre moment a large bear became stuck up a 35ft (10m) telephone pole.
The video, which quickly went viral, shows the black bear heavily panting as it lies atop the pylon, gripping it with its front paws while its legs dangle on either side of the power pole.
The unusual footage – which has been verified – was captured on Monday by Shannon Mullens, who was travelling along Highway 56 from New Mexico to Oklahoma when she saw the bear in rural Gladstone.
In the video, an off-camera caller told the 911 operator: “I’m calling to report a bear on top of a light pole.”
The operator, who had already received reports of the stranded bear, said they had informed Game and Fish – a state government agency responsible for conserving wildlife – but there was “nothing they can do”. The caller was instructed to leave the bear alone.
The operator went on to explain that wildlife professionals were unable to help the bear, as if they tranquilised the animal, it would probably fall from the pylon and sustain catastrophic injuries.
‘We didn’t believe what we saw’
Telephone poles in the US are usually about 35ft (10m) – taller than two double-decker buses stacked on top of each other, or the height of a three-storey building.
Ms Mullens told Storyful: “We really didn’t believe what we saw at first, so we turned around to get another look.
“At first, we thought that the bear was dead, until we got closer to it and then we realised that he was still alive.”
The video was reposted by the US department of the interior on Wednesday and racked up more than 230,000 views.
“We appreciate the enthusiasm for American Energy Dominance, but this isn’t what we meant,” the department joked.
The bear died some time later.
The New Mexico department of fish and wildlife told The New York Post that despite the best efforts of local authorities, the bear was electrocuted before it could be saved.
