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3d ago

Michigan Biologists Free Black Bear Trapped by Plastic Lid for Two Years

The bear’s rescue highlights Michigan’s regulations on bait container openings aimed at preventing similar wildlife injuries.

In this image provided by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, DNS staffers, from left, Angela Kujawa, Sherry Raifsnider and Miranda VanCleave work to remove a lid from the neck of an immobilized black bear near Hillman, Michigan, on June 3, 2025.
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A trail camera on private property in Hillman, Michigan, captured this photo of a black bear with a lid stuck on its neck.

Overview

  • The bear was first spotted as a cub in 2023 and remained elusive until trail cameras captured the plastic lid around its neck again in late May 2025.
  • State biologists with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources set a baited enclosure trap and anesthetized the animal on June 2 before cutting off the hard blue lid.
  • Despite significant scarring and an abscess, the 2-year-old bear weighed 110 pounds, a healthy weight for its age, and was released back into Montmorency County.
  • The removed lid, similar to those on 55-gallon bait drums, had a five-inch opening that violates Michigan’s rules requiring container holes to be smaller than one inch or larger than 22 inches.
  • Michigan is home to about 13,000 black bears, with roughly 1,700 in the Lower Peninsula, where improper bait container setups can pose risks to wildlife.