Baby black bear with plastic lid stuck on its neck for TWO YEARS is finally freed
The two-year-old bear was first spotted in 2023 when it was a small cub on trail camera photos with the lid around its neck in Michigan.
Biologists at the Department of Natural Resources have attempted to locate the suffering cub for years, but the black bear proved elusive.
The cub occasionally popped up on trail cameras over the last two years, just to disappear a day later.
A breakthrough came in May when a resident of Hillman, a town outside of Lewiston with a population under 1,000, spotted the trapped bear.
The resident alerted biologists, and the Department of Natural Resources set up a trap to catch the bear.
A baited enclosure captured the black bear on June 2, and scientists gave it anesthesia to relieve the bear from the plastic lid. The black bear's measurements were and it only weighed 110 pounds.
The animal had suffered significant scarring and had an infection on its neck from the lid, but the department said it was healthy otherwise.
After the anesthetics wore off, scientists released the black bear into the wild, free at last.
Cody Norton of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said the bear's suffering was a lesson to practicing safe bear baiting methods.
Bear baiting is legal in the state on private land, but hunters are prohibited from using containers between one and 22 inches in diameter, according to the DNR.
Scientists didn't know how the bear got stuck, but noted that the lid seemed to fit the containers that hunters use to lure black bears.
Hunters put chicken feed or other attracting materials in the containers to lure the bears before killing them.
Norton also noted that the bear could've gotten stuck after rummaging through garbage.
'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,' Norton said.
The DNR advises those who live in areas with a high black bear population to securely dispose of food, garbage, and recycling.
Leaving pet food outdoors, failing to clean outdoor grills, and placing bird feeders outside can also attract bears.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Arkansas inmate's extreme escape plan revealed before he simply walked out of prison
An Arkansas inmate known as the 'Devil in the Ozarks' escaped prison by dressing in a fake uniform made from kitchen laundry and a badge crafted out of a can before ordering a guard to open the gate to let him out. Grant Hardin, a former police chief and convicted murderer and rapist, said he spent six months planning his escape from the North Central Unit in Calico Rock before successfully slipping out of the facility on May 25. His escape triggered an extensive manhunt involving canines, drones, helicopters, and multiple law enforcement agencies. The sprawling search was further complicated by heavy rain, but tracking dogs eventually led officers to Hardin's location, just 1.5 miles away. Now an internal review by the Department of Corrections review released Friday, outlines a series of security lapses that allowed the dangerous convict to leave the prison undetected, including unsupervised access to a loading dock and a failure to verify his identity at a gate. Hardin, who worked in the prison's kitchen, told investigators he used discarded clothing and black Sharpie markers to create a uniform resembling that of prison staff. He even fashioned a badge from a can lid and hid his disguise at the bottom of a trash can - an area he said was never searched. 'Hardin stated he would hide the clothes and other items he was going to need in the bottom of a trash can in the kitchen due to no one ever shaking it down,' the report said. Hardin described security detail in the kitchen to be 'very lax,' which he said allowed him to collect materials unnoticed - and when the day finally came, he simply walked to the back gate and instructed a guard to let him out. 'He just directed the officer to "open the gate," and he did,' the report noted. Two employees were fired as a result of the escape, a kitchen worker who allowed Hardin onto the dock unsupervised, and a tower officer who opened the gate without checking identification. Several other staff members were suspended or demoted, The Associated Press reported. Following his escape, Hardin survived in the Ozark wilderness by eating berries, ants, bird eggs, and smuggled prison food. He drank creek water and distilled water from his CPAP machine, and planned to hide for up to six months before heading west, according to the report. He was captured on June 6, nearly two weeks after his escape. The Department of Corrections report also cited confusion in the early hours of Hardin's escape about which agencies had been notified and when. 'It is obvious there was a lot of confusion during the beginning stages of opening the command center and of notifications being made,' the report stated. In response to the escape, the Department of Corrections has removed electric locks from gates to prevent unverified exits, identified blind spots for new camera installation, and expanded contraband search protocols to include side and mechanical rooms. The Friday review also revealed that the hardened criminal had been misclassified and should not have been housed at the medium-security facility. The report added that his custody level had not been reassessed since 2019. He has since been transferred to a maximum-security prison. He has pleaded not guilty to escape charges and his trial is set for November. A separate investigation by the Arkansas State Police is ongoing, and legislators plan to hold hearings with corrections officials next month, according to The Associated Press. The former Gateway, Arkansas police chief, was serving a combined 80 years for the 2017 murder of 59-year-old James Appleton and two 1997 rapes. His case was the subject of the 2023 true crime documentary 'Devil in the Ozarks.'
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Alabama town rocked by horror family-of-four killed in suspected murder-suicide
An Alabama town has been rocked by the murder-suicide of a family of four that police describe 'as tragic as it comes'. The family of four, including two children, were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds in their home on Thursday morning, according to the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office. Investigators believe Larrica Gaines Smith, 41, and her two kids, Khristian Smith, 15, and Kinsley Smith, 11, were shot dead by her husband, 44-year-old Kenneth O'Neil Smith Jr. Officers arrived at the scene in Daphne, located across the bay from Mobile, in the early morning hours after they received a 'welfare concern' call from a family member. Sheriff Anthony Lowery said the children's cell phones were ringing as authorities investigated the scene, reported 'You know that was their friends,' Lowery said. 'I've been doing this for 29 years. It's only the second time I've had to work a case where the whole family has been killed. 'It looks like some type of domestic issue that escalated into this. It's as tragic as it comes.' Police identified Kenneth as the shooter using forensic and circumstantial evidence found at the scene, including a recovered handgun, according to WALA. 'We will absolutely work this like any other homicide investigation. There is no reason to believe anything happened anywhere else but inside the house,' Lowery said. 'The neighbors are really hurting. This is a quiet neighborhood. They are proud of where they live here.' The sheriff said his department will continue to investigate the crime, but believes it stemmed from a 'domestic issue.' 'We may never get all of the answers because there won't be a suspect to interview or anything along those lines so we'll have to use our forensic techniques as best we can to piece it back together and we'll rely on [that] information,' he said. 'We'll talk to friends and family and coworkers and all those things to try and find out as much as we can.' Crisis response teams have been made available at Daphne High School and Daphne East Elementary School, where the children attended. Neighbor Shannon Brannon told the local news that she is in shock and described the Smiths' as 'just the nicest, sweetest family'. 'Their kids were so sweet. They babysat my daughter. Just good people. She just told me they celebrated their wedding anniversary two weeks ago and was happy about it, so I just don't understand. I don't understand how this could happen,' she said. Larrica worked as a realtor and her former colleague Sue Lyon, owner of Exit Realty Lyon, told the outlet she was stunned by the news. 'You'd just kind of imagine it would be a certain type of family that would happen to and you'd never think something like that would happen to them because she was always so quiet and polite and everything, but I mean…it's horrible,' Lyon said. Larrica stopped working at the agency is 2018, but Lyon said she was a talented realtor and unforgettable. 'She was so sweet, she was very quiet,' she said. 'She was the kind of person that you just thought, man she's gonna work so great in real estate.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Best friend of girl, 11, who went missing 29 years ago issues direct plea to suspect after arrest
For 29 years, loved ones of Trudy Appleby have waited in agony for answers about what happened to the bright and spirited 11-year-old, who was last spotted climbing into a stranger's car in 1996 - and never seen again. On Thursday, their fight for justice took a major step forward with the arrest of Jamison Fisher, 50, who was first named as a person of interest five years ago. Fisher is accused of kidnapping Trudy, strangling her, and dumping her body - but police have yet to reveal what evidence led to the charges. The most agonizing question of all still remains: where is Trudy? She was last seen alive near her home in Moline, Illinois, on August 21, 1996, but her body has never been found. For Trudy's childhood best friend, Amber Dunlap, the news of Fisher's arrest struck like a bolt from the blue. She told the Daily Mail how she dropped to her knees at work, overcome with tears, when her mom told her about the stunning development - a moment that brought relief, anger, and grief all at once. Seeing Fisher's mugshot for the first time made her physically sick. 'I saw his face and I threw up,' she said. 'Any human being who can harm a child is not human. 'I've always taught my kids that monsters are real, but they don't look like storybook monsters. They look like people.' But Fisher's arrest is only part of the story. Dunlap knows that the only thing that will bring this haunting chapter to a close for Trudy's loved ones is finding her remains - and she is pleading directly with the man accused of killing her. 'Tell us where she is. That way, we can give her the proper burial she deserves. 'She was an innocent child. Please do the right thing.' Fisher has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of concealment of a homicidal death. He has not yet entered a plea, but previously denied wrongdoing when he was first identified as a person of interest in 2020. He is being held in the Scott County Jail, where he was already in custody on unrelated narcotics charges. Last month, his son, Edward J. Fisher, 19, died in a drowning accident along the Mississippi River. Dunlap said that now Fisher understands the pain of losing a child, he should end the Appleby family's suffering by confessing. Trudy's mom, Brenda Gordon, died without ever getting answers about her only child's fate. She was killed in 2014 at age 53 after being struck by a drunk driver. Trudy's father, Dennis Appleby, is 77. Dunlap said she is desperate for Dennis to get answers in his lifetime. 'It's terrible to lose a child, and [Fisher] knows that pain now. The only difference is he knows what happened to his son, while we're still waiting. 'If he has any feelings at all, he will put us out of our misery.' Dunlap was just 13 when Trudy disappeared. The pair were inseparable, spending every waking minute of their free time together, to the point where they saw each other as sisters rather than friends. Police said Trudy had asked her father if she could go swimming with a friend on the nearby Campbell's Island, but her father said no Dunlap was with Trudy the night before she disappeared. That night was spent like any other: rollerblading in the street, eating hot dogs and mac and cheese, teasing Dunlap's younger brother, and playing on the Super Nintendo. There was nothing unusual about Trudy's behavior. She was her usual happy and spunky self. Dunlap walked her home. Their neighborhood felt safe then. Cul-de-sacs and tree-lined streets. 'Love you. See you tomorrow,' Dunlap called out as she watched Trudy go inside. Trudy returned the sentiment - but tomorrow never came. 'I never in a million years thought that would be the last time I saw her,' said Dunlap. Early the following morning, at around 9:30am, Trudy was seen climbing into a silver or gray box-style car driven by an unknown white male, thought to be in his 20s. She was wearing a black, one-piece swimsuit, spandex shorts, blue tennis shoes, a t-shirt and carrying a beach towel. Police said Trudy had earlier asked her father if she could go swimming with a friend on the nearby Campbell's Island, but he said no. Phone records indicated she had made arrangements to go anyway behind her parents' backs, according to investigators. What happened to Trudy after that is still not clear. The moment Dunlap realized something was wrong came in a phone call from Trudy's panicked dad, asking if she'd seen her. Dennis knew the girls had plans to meet that morning, but Dunlap told him she never showed. 'As soon as I got off the phone with her dad, I turned to my mom and said, 'Somebody's got her! Somebody took her!'' said Dunlap, through tears. 'I knew she never would've run off, and there were so many things that didn't add up. I knew right then that something terrible had happened.' Dunlap was questioned by the police. They believed Trudy had run away and suspected she knew where her friend was hiding. Dunlap insisted she didn't. While the search continued, Dunlap spent every day after school sitting at the end of Trudy's driveway, hoping she'd come skipping down the road - as she often did - but that wish never materialized. The days stretched into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, and years into decades - and Dunlap is still waiting to bring Trudy home. For a long time, investigators seemed to be at an impasse. However, in 2017, the case gained momentum. That year, police publicly identified William 'Ed' Smith as a person of interest, claiming he may have been the last person to be seen with Trudy in the grey or silver car. A witness saw Smith on the day of Trudy's disappearance in a vehicle near his home on Campbell's Island, police said. A girl in the passenger seat matched Trudy's description. The following year, the FBI seized a boat they believed could be involved in the case. The vessel was swabbed for DNA, but the results of the search were never disclosed. Then, in 2020, two more persons of interest entered the fold: Jamison Fisher and David Whipple. Whipple - a registered sex offender, convicted of sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl - was Smith's son-in-law, and Fisher was a lifelong family friend of the Smiths, police said. Smith died in 2014 and Whipple in 2022. Authorities said previously that Fisher was likely the last person alive who knew what happened to Trudy. The backyard of Fisher's home was excavated in 2023, but nothing was found. The Moline Police Department refused to back down in the case, voicing certainty that Trudy's killer would be brought to justice. Then, on Wednesday, Fisher was indicted by a grand jury for murdering Trudy and disposing of her remains. Though she long ago conceded Trudy was likely no longer alive, the details of how police believe she was killed were hard for Dunlap to hear. She has been haunted by an image of Trudy being strangled, and imagining how terrified she must've been in her final moments, desperately fighting for air. But she is ready for answers, no matter how painful the truth may be. 'We just want Trudy home and justice to be served,' said Dunlap. 'We will never get closure. Our lives will never be normal again, but at least we'd be able to move forward.' Moline Police Chief Darren Gault said his department will continue to work tirelessly to find Trudy. As Fisher moves towards trial, detectives will be chasing all new leads, no matter how big or small. He credited the breakthrough of Fisher's arrest - coming one week before the 29th anniversary of Trudy's disappearance - to decades of rigorous investigative work, which has included hundreds of interviews, numerous executed search warrants, vehicle seizures, and multiple excavations. '28 years, 11 months, and 23 days. That's how long the family of Trudy Appleby has waited for a resolution to her disappearance. That's 10,584 days,' Gault said during a press conference on Thursday. 'That is the time it has taken to stand before you and say what we long had hoped we could say: We have made an arrest in the murder of Trudy Appleby.' Gault acknowledged that nothing can bring Trudy back, but Moline PD is committed to 'seeking the truth for Trudy and her family and to ensuring that justice is served.' Each year, Trudy's family hosts a candlelight vigil in Moline on August 21, praying for answers and trying to keep her story alive. This year, the solemn gathering will look very different from each of the 28 before it. 'It's going to be more emotional,' said Dunlap. 'In previous years, we've had police share new information, but nothing like this.'
