A bear that became stranded at the top of a 35ft (10m) telephone pole has died, according to a New York Post report citing comments from the New Mexico Department of Fish and Wildlife.
On Monday (20 July), a woman noticed the animal as she was driving along a New Mexico highway.
She called 911 to report the bear lying precariously atop the pylon near Gladstone, but an operator told her there was “nothing they could do”. The dispatcher explained that tranquillizing the animal while it remained atop the pole could have led to it falling.
The bear was electrocuted and died before wildlife officials could safely rescue it, the New Mexico Department of Fish and Wildlife told The New York Post.
A statement from the government department added that “some members of the public continued to stop next to the power pole to film and take pictures of the bear, so the bear remained at the top of the pole”.
