Michigan wildlife experts were finally able to trap a black bear and remove a large lid that was stuck around his neck……..for two years. State bear specialist Cody Norton said it’s incredible that the bear survived and was able to feed itself during that time. “The neck was scarred and missing hair, but the bear was in much better condition than we expected it to be,” he said. The bear first turned up on a trail camera as a cub in 2023. After that, the Department of Natural Resources were on the lookout for the elusive animal with a hard plastic lid around the neck. The bear appeared again on a camera in late May, still wearing the barrel lid. That’s when the DNR responded by setting a cylindrical trap and safely luring the bear inside. The animal was immobilized with an injection and the lid was cut off in minutes. The bear eventually woke up and rambled away. Norton said it’s not known exactly how the lid got stuck on the bear’s head. The bear weighed 110 pounds, which is fairly typical for a 2-year-old. “We were pleasantly surprised it was still able to live like a typical bear,” said Norton.
