DNR removes lid stuck on Northern Michigan bear for 2 years – abc12.com

A trail camera on private property in Hillman, Michigan, captured this photo of a black bear with a lid stuck on its neck.
DNR staffers, from left, Angela Kujawa, Sherry Raifsnider and Miranda VanCleave work to remove a lid from an immobilized black bear. The bear had gotten its head stuck in one of two holes in the plastic lid.
DNR wildlife biologist Angela Kujawa collects data from an immobilized black bear.
With the lid removed, the black bear showed significant scarring and an abscess on its neck but was otherwise healthy.
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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.
DNR staffers, from left, Angela Kujawa, Sherry Raifsnider and Miranda VanCleave work to remove a lid from an immobilized black bear. The bear had gotten its head stuck in one of two holes in the plastic lid.
DNR wildlife biologist Angela Kujawa collects data from an immobilized black bear.
With the lid removed, the black bear showed significant scarring and an abscess on its neck but was otherwise healthy.
MONTMORENCY COUNTY, Mich. (WJRT) – State wildlife biologists successfully removed a plastic lid from a young black bear’s neck after it had been stuck for two years.
Authorities say the case highlights the importance of Michigan’s bear-baiting regulations, which are designed to prevent injuries like this to animals.
“Container openings of a certain size can result in bears and other wildlife getting their heads or other body parts stuck in them, leading to injury or death,” said Cody Norton of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
DNR officials aren’t sure exactly how or when the 110-pound bear got the lid from a 55-gallon drum stuck on its neck. The bear was initially spotted in trail camera photos in 2023 near Atlanta in Northern Michigan with the lid stuck on its head.
Hunters and landowners reported sightings of the bear to the DNR over the next two years, but it eluded capture. A resident near Hillman reported seeing the bear on trail cameras in late May, so DNR officials set a trap.
Biologists caught it on June 2 using a baited enclosure trap. They anesthetized the bear, cut off the lid and took vital measurements before releasing it back into the wild.
The bear had significant scarring but was otherwise healthy. 
Norton emphasized the importance of responsible baiting practices and securing garbage to prevent similar situations. The DNR believes Michigan has about 13,000 to 17,000 wild bears, mostly in the northern Lower Peninsula and Upper Peninsula.
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