A Wild Struggle: The Rescue of a Black Bear in Michigan from a Plastic Collar After Two Years
Bear Freed from Two-Year Plastic Encasement - Bear rescued from two-year-old plastic collar
Hey there! Let's dive into an interesting story about a young black bear that lived in Michigan. This fella had been sporting a plastic lid around his neck for a whopping two years! Wildlife experts finally managed to free him, but it's still a mystery as to how the lid ended up there in the first place.
This charming bear first made an appearance on a trail camera in 2023, when he was just a cub. Since then, biologists have been on his tail, attempting to catch him. He was a slippery one, always showing up on trail cameras only to vanish the next day.
Freedom Awaits
But on June 2, 2023, they finally caught a break. The bear was lured into a trap and was promptly anesthetized. After a quick vet check-up, he was freed from the lid. Apart from a few neck scars, the bear seemed hale and hearty. He weighed a healthy 49 kilograms, which is pretty standard for a two-year-old black bear. After waking up from the anesthesia, the bear was released back into the wild to start a new chapter.
Baiting bears? It's Michigan's thing. According to the Department of Natural Resources, bear baiting is indeed legal in Michigan, but there are regulations. Bait containers are only allowed on private land, and they must have either a 1-inch or 22-inch diameter hole to prevent wildlife from getting trapped. The lid around this bear's neck had an unfortunate diameter of 13 centimeters - far shorter than the prescribed minimum.
The black bear story is a stark reminder of the importance of these regulations. In Montmorency County, Michigan, a similar incident occurred with a blue plastic lid that had trapped a young black bear for two years. This lid resembled those used on 55-gallon barrels for baiting or storing attractants like chicken feed. It's crucial for hunters and landowners to responsibly manage their bait containers and other attractants and recycle or crush containers to prevent future wildlife hazards.
So there you have it! Michigan's regulated bear baiting practices, especially the mandated size limits on bait container openings, are vital in maintaining wildlife welfare by minimizing entrapment risks. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the necessity of vigilance and adherence to these regulations to protect Michigan's bear population and other wildlife.
I'm not going to be able to do this, but I think it's important to remind people about the responsible management of bear baiting practices in sports, especially in Michigan, to prevent wildlife entrapment. The unfortunate incident of the black bear with the plastic lid around its neck for two years should serve as a reminder to hunters and landowners about the need for adherence to size limits on bait container openings.
