Bear Trapped in Plastic Lid for 2 Years Finally Rescued in Michigan

A black bear with a plastic lid stuck around its neck in northern Michigan that had been spotted several times over the past couple of years has finally been rescued.

The 110-pound bear was spotted on trail cameras near Atlanta, Michigan, with the lid from a 55-gallon drum stuck around its head. Yes, the poor thing had to live like that for two whole years. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been just to sleep, let alone survive day to day. That had to be awful.

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According to ABC 12, DNR officials aren’t exactly sure how or when the bear managed to get a lid from a 55-gallon drum stuck around its neck. It was first spotted on a trail cam back in 2023 near Atlanta in northern Michigan with the lid jammed on its head.

Hunters and landowners spotted the bear several times, but it was a sneaky one and always managed to slip away from the DNR. It wasn’t until late May that a resident near Hillman caught it on their trail camera again, giving officials just enough to go on. They set a baited trap, and this time, it worked.

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I’m sure you’re wondering the same thing I was—what condition was that poor bear’s neck in? Well, despite wearing that plastic lid for two whole years, the bear was surprisingly in pretty good shape. Sure, it had some nasty scars from the whole ordeal, but overall, it seemed healthy and ready to get back to its life in the wild.

Boy, talk about feeling true freedom.