New Mexico Bear Dies on Utility Pole After 170-Mile-Away Viral Video
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 23
New Mexico Bear Dies on Utility Pole After 170-Mile-Away Viral Video
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 23
Summary
Wildlife officials said the bear died after being electrocuted on a utility pole near Gladstone, New Mexico, days after video of it balancing on the crossarm spread online.
Monday footage from Highway 56, about 170 miles east of Santa Fe, showed the animal panting and struggling to keep its balance high above the ground.
A 911 caller reported the bear on the pole, but dispatch audio said tranquilizing it while perched there could have caused a fatal fall before rescuers could act.
Wildlife experts say bears sometimes climb utility poles when startled by people, traffic or dogs, treating them like trees; a similar 2021 Arizona case ended with a safe rescue.