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A bear that climbed to the top of a utility pole in rural New Mexico became the subject of a viral video this week before reportedly later dying after the unusual encounter.
The video, recorded Monday near Gladstone, New Mexico, roughly 170 miles east of Santa Fe, shows the bear precariously perched on the crossarm of the utility pole while panting and trying to maintain its balance high above the ground.
The U.S. Department of the Interior re-shared the video Wednesday, joking, “We appreciate the enthusiasm for American Energy Dominance, but this isn’t what we meant.”
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A bear perches atop a utility pole near Gladstone, New Mexico, after climbing the structure in a bizarre encounter captured on video. (Shannon Mullens via Storyful)
The Department of the Interior and the New Mexico Department of Wildlife did not immediately respond to Digital’s request for comment.
The footage, verified by Storyful, also includes audio from a 911 caller reporting the unusual sight.
“I’m calling to report a bear on top of a light pole,” the caller tells the dispatcher.
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A bear balances atop a utility pole near Gladstone, New Mexico, in video captured by a passing motorist before the unusual encounter drew widespread attention online. (Shannon Mullens via Storyful)
The dispatcher responds that state officials had already been notified, but said tranquilizing the animal while it remained atop the pole could have caused it to fall.
Shannon Mullens, who recorded the video, told Storyful she was traveling from Red River, New Mexico, to Oklahoma on Highway 56 when she and her family spotted what they initially believed was a dead bear.
“We really didn’t believe what we saw at first, so we turned around to get another look,” Mullens said.
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The bear hangs from the crossarm of a utility pole in rural New Mexico during the unusual incident that later drew widespread attention online. (Shannon Mullens via Storyful)
“At first, we thought that the bear was dead, until we got closer to it, and then we realized that he was still alive.”
The bear was electrocuted and died before wildlife officials could safely rescue it, the New York Post reported.
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Wildlife experts say bears can climb utility poles after becoming startled by people, traffic or dogs, treating them much like trees while trying to escape danger.
A similar incident ended differently in Arizona in 2021, when wildlife officials safely rescued a bear that had climbed a utility pole.
