Michigan: 2-Year Ordeal Ends as Rescuers Remove Stuck Lid from American Animal’s Neck

Wildlife experts in Michigan have successfully trapped a black bear and removed a sizable lid that had been stuck around its neck for two years.

According to Cody Norton, a state bear specialist, “It’s incredible that the bear not only survived but was also able to continue feeding itself. Despite the neck being scarred and hairless, the bear was in much better condition than we anticipated.”

The first sighting of the bear was as a cub in 2023, captured on a trail camera in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula. From that moment on, the department of natural resources was on the lookout for this elusive bear, which had a hard plastic lid encircling its neck, as noted by Norton.

The bear was spotted again in late May, still with the lid attached, prompting the DNR to set up a cylindrical trap and lure the bear inside safely. Anesthetized, the lid was removed on June 3, and the bear was later able to wake up and freely wander off.

Norton shed light on the mystery surrounding how the lid got stuck around the bear’s neck. While bear baiting is legal in Michigan, the size of the hole on a barrel lid is usually mandated to be large enough to prevent incidents like this from occurring.

There’s also uncertainty regarding how the 110-pound (49.9-kg) bear managed to hibernate through winters without dislodging the uncomfortable lid.

“We were pleasantly surprised. Despite this hindrance, the bear was able to live quite typically,” Norton concluded.