Black bear free from the plastic stuck around its neck for two years
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 had attempted to locate the cub for years, but the black bear proved elusive.
The cub occasionally popped up on trail cameras over the last two years.
A breakthrough came in May when a resident of Hillman, a town outside of Lewiston with a population under 1,000, spotted the bear.
The resident alerted biologists, and the Department of Natural Resources set up a trap to catch the bear.
A baited enclosure captured it on June 2, and scientists gave it anesthesia to relieve the bear from the plastic lid. The black bear only weighed 110lb.
The animal had suffered significant scarring and had an infection on its neck but the department said it was healthy otherwise.
Scientists later 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 got 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
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mormon missionary president is shot during violent home invasion in Mexico City
The president of a Mormon mission in Mexico City was shot at point-blank range during an early morning robbery attempt at his house. Ohio-born Tyler Wallis, 57, and his wife Elizabeth Wallis, 54, were at their home in Mexico's capital when an intruder broke in around 2am and attacked him. The burglar shot Wallis with a 9mm pistol just below the sternum and the bullet penetrated two inches without hitting any organs or arteries, family members shared in a Latter Day Saints Facebook group. 'An undeniable miracle that he is not dead,' they added. According to another relative, Elizabeth texted the family group chat immediately after the shooting, begging for prayers. 'We need prayers immediately. We've had a robber break in our house and Tyler has been shot two times please see this and wake everyone up and have them pray for him,' she allegedly texted. Elizabeth was left unharmed in the violent robbery. Wallis was treated at a nearby medical center in Mexico City and is in stable condition, church spokesperson Sam Penrod said. 'The Church is cooperating with local authorities as they investigate the incident. All missionaries are safe,' an announcement the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints website reported. One of their daughters shared an update on Wallis's health: 'My dad is doing well - we appreciate all the prayers and rejoice in miracles,' their daughter Madeleine shared on Facebook. The post was flooded with comments promising to pray for Wallis. Wallis had moved to Mexico City less than two months ago and began serving as mission president on July 1. 'A new chapter of our life has begun,' Elizabeth said in a Facebook post announcing their move, adding, 'We are excited to serve the Lord in this capacity.' The couple are originally from Orlando, Florida, and have four children. Elizabeth works as a life coach for parents of children with anxiety. 'My husband and I raised our four children in 6 cities. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am a woman trying to reduce anxiety in the world,' she shared on her website. While Mexico City has become safer in recent years, there is still a high rate of robbery, according to data from Dow Jones. Violent robberies remain a risk in many neighborhoods close to central areas, especially in the central Cuauhtemoc borough.
The Sun
17 minutes ago
- The Sun
Man arrested after pack of dogs tore flesh from girl's ‘entire body' leaving her unrecognizable & needing 500 stitches
A MAN has been arrested almost a month after a teenage girl was attacked by a pack of dogs, leaving her unrecognizable. Tracy Hurtado was left needing over 500 stitches after more than 10 "large breed dogs" savaged her whilst out for a jog in Newberry Springs, California. 6 6 6 The 17-year-old was running on a dirt road between 6:30 and 7 am on July 17 when she was nearly killed by the animals, cops said. A neighbor heard the girls screams, called 911 and rushed to help, quickly followed by Tracy's mother Maria. "I thought they ripped her arms off," the distraught mom told ABC News. "I didn't know who she was. She was so dirty, covered in dirt, so I couldn't recognize my daughter. "I recognized her bra, that's what I recognized." "I got close to her and she asked me, 'Mom, am I still pretty? and I said 'Yeah, you're beautiful," Maria added. Tracy was rushed for treatment at the Loma Linda Children's Hospital where she stayed for a number of days. Her stepfather Carlos Ramirez told the news outlet how she needed over 500 stitches for wounds all over her body. "What was going through my mind was the worst," he said. "It was not one dog or two dogs, it was a lot. I mean, they bit every part of her body you could think of except for her ankles." Officials said she had suffered "large lacerations, abrasions, and removed flesh." On August 13, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department announced the arrest of Craig Arthur Simmons in connection with the attack. Officials confirmed the 61-year-old's arrest after having "conducted surveillance" on his home. Prior to the arrest, cops saw him riding his bike near the property and they interviewed him and took him into custody. He is charged with being the owner of an animal causing serious bodily injury or death. Officials had previously seized 16 dogs from the area before a criminal investigation was launched. The Sheriff's Department added that the canines belonging to Simmons were "not fenced or leashed at the time of the incident". A GoFundMe page has been set up to help with Tracy's recovery. At the time of writing it has raised over $33,000 of its $35,000 goal. "She was getting ready to do her senior year of high school this year," the page reads. "Now, because of this, she has to stay home and go to several doctor's appointments and rehab. "Due to the trauma, she cannot sleep at night; she's having nightmares." 6 6
Daily Mail
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Billionaire David Geffen, 82, slams his boytoy ex who lodged explosive sex-and-drugs lawsuit against him
David Geffen has doubled down on insisting his estranged boytoy husband's claims he's a sex and drug-crazed abuser are 'a work of fiction'. Donovan Michaels, 32, alleges his billionaire ex-beau Geffen, 82, forced him to take drugs, subjected him to abusive sex and controlled his every move. Among the salacious claims in his lawsuit were that Geffen forced him to have all his body hair lasered off and once flew into a rage at the sight of an ingrown hair. The pair met in 2016 on a dating website often used by rich people looking for much younger partners. Geffen, a movie and music producer worth about $9 billion, allegedly paid Michaels $10,000 for sex on the night they met, according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court as part of their messy divorce. The pair began a relationship and married in 2023 without a prenup, according to the complaint that accuses Geffen of breach of contract. Geffen promised the Daily Mail the claims were false and he would defend them, insisting there was never any agreement he would look after Michaels. 'There was no contract - express, written, oral, or implied - that has ever existed. We will be vigorously and righteously defending against this false, pathetic lawsuit,' his lawyer Patty Glaser said hours after the lawsuit was filed. Geffen on Saturday made good on his promise with a written response to the court calling the claims 'ludicrous and contrived'. 'Plaintiff cannot embarrass Geffen and extort a settlement with petty gossip and salacious lies,' the document read. Geffen's lawyers denied Michaels' claim that the billionaire promised to give him a life of luxury until his death, along with shared ownership of assets. The response declared there were no agreements of this nature in Geffen's estate planning documents or financial records. He detailed how Michaels burned through massive amounts of cash during their relationship, using assistants to charge luxury purchases to Geffen's accounts. This included fine clothing, plastic surgery, extravagant gifts for friends, and as the marriage began to break down he spent big on OnlyFans and male escorts. 'Geffen loved Plaintiff and treated him with nothing but kindness, respect, and generosity throughout their relationship,' the filing claimed. The response cited the billionaire's friends and staff describing Michaels as 'living like a king' off Geffen's money during the marriage. All the while, it claimed, Michaels was hiding affairs and cocaine and ketamine addictions that persisted even after Geffen paid for rehab. Geffen's filing also rubbished claims he left Michaels destitute and homeless after cutting him off when he filed for divorce in May. He noted the younger man was living rent-free in one of his New York apartments and received a voluntary monthly allowance. Geffen's lawyers characterized the lawsuit as an attempt by Michaels to embarrass him into a settlement that he neither deserved nor needed, and asked for it to be dismissed. Michaels claimed in the lawsuit that he was targeted by Geffen because he was a vulnerable, marginalized young gay black man who spent the majority of his life bouncing around in the foster care system before turning to erotic dancing to make ends meet. The lawsuit claimed Geffen commanded Michaels to use drugs like cocaine and MDMA alongside the entertainment mogul's friends on his 450-foot superyacht, The Rising Sun. The suit also claimed Geffen enjoyed physically dominating his sexual partners and causing them pain, which triggered Michaels' childhood trauma. This allegedly caused him digestive issues, headaches and a desire to isolate himself. The complaint claimed Geffen told Michaels 'where to go, what to wear, what to read, what to watch, and what to say'. The lawsuit even accused the billionaire of making Michaels to undergo painful cosmetic treatments. Geffen is also claimed to have told Michaels he had to be constantly available to him, preventing him from being able to pursue a modeling career. Michaels' lawsuit claimed Geffen did this because after years of being 'a prop in Geffen's theater of virtue', Michaels finally approached his husband and asked to renegotiate the terms of their union. He 'wanted a new beginning wherein he could stand shoulder to shoulder with Geffen as an equal free from power dynamics that existed', the lawsuit claimed. Michaels claimed Geffen rejected this, cut him off financially, and immediately demanded a divorce. 'It was a sick game,' the complaint claimed. 'Michaels became a prop in Geffen's theater of virtue, paraded around as evidence of Geffen's supposed altruism, while privately used as a sexual commodity.' The complaint claimed while Geffen was at the Jeff Bezos–Lauren Sanchez wedding in Venice in late June, he ordered Michaels to 'immediately vacate' their New York property, leaving him without a home. 'At the very same time, Geffen was decadently and extravagantly partying and dancing the night away in Venice, Italy with the other .0001 percent of the wealthiest people on the planet,' it claimed. One of the divorce documents prepared by Geffen's lawyers claimed the pair separated in on February 22, 2025, months before the Bezos wedding. As well as Michael's claims about their final days together, the lawsuit includes astonishing allegations about what went on during their relationship. 'Geffen also found additional ways to satisfy his unquenchable thirst for control over Michaels,' the lawsuit claimed. 'With backhanded insults and put-downs about Michaels' past and lack of sophistication, Geffen cultivated Michaels' insecurity and self-doubt. He critiqued every aspect of Michaels' appearance and exercised strict control over his body hygiene.' The billionaire record executive is accused in the lawsuit of ordering his ex-lover to 'undergo extensive, painful' treatments to conform to his idea of 'perfection.' 'Geffen required Michaels to undergo extensive, painful laser and dental treatments. Even something as minor as an ingrown hair could provoke Geffen's ire and prompt a barrage of instructions to correct the imperfection,' according to the complaint. Michaels claimed he was 'awestruck by Geffen', a 'philanthropist' who 'talked the talk' when the younger man revealed issues 'during his underprivileged upbringing', during the ill-fated couple's first meeting nine years ago. He claimed he 'opened up to Geffen', confiding in him 'about the painful realities of his life – his traumatic upbringing in the Michigan foster care system, his lack of a real family, his instability, and his prior run-ins with the law'. 'He spoke candidly, not to gain sympathy from Geffen, but because he believed he had finally found someone who could understand and maybe even care,' it added. But Michaels claimed his future husband 'weaponized [his] vulnerability to fulfill his own personal fantasies', including the lucrative financial transaction he alleges was made on the first night they met. The former model turned go-go dancer claimed in his lawsuit that Geffen 'used Michaels' tragic story not as a reason to offer genuine support, but as a grooming tool – casting himself as savior, "white knight," mentor, and gatekeeper to a better life'. The younger man claimed he became a 'private sexual object and a public prop' that Geffen allegedly used to show off his 'self-proclaimed altruism to impress his powerful network'. 'From that moment forward, Geffen began transporting Michaels across the globe as his paid sex worker,' the complaint claimed.
