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Posted on 07/23/2026 4:20:54 AM PDT by DFG
Unbelievable footage of a hulking bear stranded atop a utility pole in New Mexico has gone viral online, leaving viewers gobsmacked by the beast’s unusual resting place.
The jaw-dropping video posted on X was reshared by the US Department of the Interior on Wednesday and racked up tens of thousands of views.
“We appreciate the enthusiasm for American Energy Dominance, but this isn’t what we meant,” the department joked in its post.
The clip — which was verified to be real — shows the panting bear gripping the crossarm of the power line pole with its front paws while letting its hind legs hang down in rural Gladstone on Monday.
A 911 caller behind the camera tells the operator, “I’m calling to report a bear on top of a light pole,” and, having already received reports about the bear, the operator informs the caller that “I’ve already called Game and Fish, and they said there’s nothing that they can do.”
The operator goes on to explain that if wildlife professionals tranquilize the wayward bear, it would meet a grim fate from the fall.
Shannon Mullens, who witnessed the unusual occurrence, told Storyful she was traveling from New Mexico to Oklahoma on Highway 56 when she spotted the unfortunate ursid.
“We really didn’t believe what we saw at first, so we turned around to get another look,” Mullens said.
“At first, we thought that the bear was dead, until we got closer to it and then we realized that he was still alive.”
Tragically, the bear died some time later.
The New Mexico Department of Fish and Wildlife informed The Post that despite the best efforts of local authorities, the animal was fatally electrocuted before it could have been helped.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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Sad
That’s a huge bear! Did the carcass fall to the ground?
Was there a Grabiod nearby?
The bear died, unfortunately. From electrocution.
Yes.
The bear should have had a plan
Why didn’t they cut the power for a few minutes to bring the bear down?
It probably had already been electrocuted when that picture was taken.
I was wondering if he finally got his phone installed but they put it on top of the pole.
Was he grounded you mean? His whereabouts are unknown currently.
Is there a Darwin Award for bears?
He’ll never do THAT again
Was it Smokey?
That was his cousin Sparky.
The power lines have no insulation? Perhaps that’s why they’re so high off the ground. Is that why you see big round balls halfway between poles across the towers?
Pole Bear. Bears can climb. He could see a long way from up there and potentially hunt. Completely Explainable.
Post Turtle. Not Explainable.
Smokey? At the end he probably was. And that wrecked the rug.
For a bit after, I bet.
They’re a real nuisance. I’ve actually worked with fish and game to kill problem bears in town. They tranq then when they can, but even when you relate them hundreds of miles away, they show back up.
They’re tagged and get three chances, then it’s rug time.
I view them as aggressive and large squirrels at this point.
It would have been more humane to have put it out of its misery before the final jolt.
Uh, yeah. Uninsulated. The balls are there for visibility (aircraft, for example crop dusters).
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