Michigan Bear Who Endured 2 Years With Plastic Lid Around Neck Gets Its Long-Awaited Freedom

For almost two years, a young black bear in Michigan carried an unexpected and dangerous burden.

A large blue plastic lid had gotten stuck around its neck, like a fatal collar that wildlife officials feared could seriously harm the bear. But a few weeks ago, things finally started looking up.

Wildlife biologists, working with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), had been tracking sightings of the juvenile bear, noting the blue lid with a 5-inch hole, likely cut from a 55-gallon drum, still tightly around its neck.

These types of lids are commonly used by hunters and landowners to store food or bait, but they can become dangerous when wildlife gets caught in them.

The young bear, likely about a year old when first seen, had somehow slipped its head through the small opening, but couldn’t pull it back out.

Remarkably, the bear survived in the wild, growing into a healthy 110-pound two-year-old.

Over the years, the bear remained elusive, but the plastic ring stayed tightly around its neck. It dug into its skin and left visible wounds.

It was incredible that the bear had survived for so long, but the situation was becoming urgent. The lid had caused deep scarring and even an abscess. It needed to come off.

The breakthrough finally came this year, when a resident near Hillman spotted the bear on a trail camera set up on his wooded property.

Realizing the significance of what he’d seen, he quickly reported it to the DNR.

With the landowner’s permission, DNR biologists moved quickly. They set up a baited live trap on the property, hoping to finally capture the bear. After years of near misses and fleeting sightings, they succeeded.

Once trapped, the bear was safely sedated by the DNR wildlife team. They carefully removed the plastic lid and treated the wound on its neck.

While freeing the bear, the team also collected data on its weight, size, and overall health. Amazingly, aside from the neck injury, the bear was in surprisingly good shape for one that had spent two years entangled in plastic.

The bear weighed about 110 pounds, which is typical for a two-year-old male, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. He’s still growing and is expected to bounce back now that the plastic lid has been removed.

The DNR believes the lid likely came from a 55-gallon drum often used to store bear bait or animal feed, like chicken pellets.

While bear baiting is legal in Michigan under certain rules, there are strict regulations about container safety. As the DNR explained in an interview:

“While baiting is a legal method for hunting bears in Michigan, bait containers can only be used on private land and may only have holes that are either 1 inch or less in diameter or 22 inches or greater in diameter.”

Curious animals, especially young ones, can easily get stuck in openings of certain sizes, and it doesn’t always end as well as it did for this bear.

To help prevent similar incidents, the DNR is reminding hunters and landowners to be careful with the containers they leave out.

Cody Norton, the DNR’s small game specialist, suggests recycling or crushing empty containers like cheeseball tubs and bait lids, and always securing food, garbage, and animal feed, as he explained:

“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. It’s important to remember that the opening diameter is more important than the size of the container.”

Simple steps, like locking up trash or using safe bait containers, can go a long way in keeping both wildlife and people safe.

The bear was released back into the same area where it was captured, hopefully now able to move freely and safely through the wild.

Thanks to a vigilant landowner, quick-thinking biologists, and a bit of luck, the bear’s long ordeal with the plastic collar is finally over.