DEC Rescues Cub, Its Head Shackled In Bucket for Weeks

Bear sightings seem to be the norm these days throughout the Capital Region, and while it's always wise to keep a safe distance, our natural curiosity makes it impossible to veer away.   Bears are curious creatures too, and in the hunt for food, they sometimes get themselves into some pretty precarious situations and this happened recently in Greene County.

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According to a press release the NYS Department of Environmental Conversation, a  bear cub was spotted back on July 1st by residents in the hamlet of Round Top who say they saw the animal with what appeared to be a bucket stuck on its head.  The ECO who responded was unable to help out because the bear wandered back into the woods.

On July 10, the same bear was spotted and the resident wo notified officers was able to determine that it was actually a chicken feeder stuck on the little guys' head.  This time according to the report, "ECO Smith, Lt. Glorioso, and New York State Police Trooper Alberts responded to the area, located the cub-now accompanied by additional cubs and a sow."  Once they hatched their plan, it was time to free the little honey eating homie. 

Here's what they did according to the release: "The sow was hazed away from the area to provide enough space and time for the responding Officers to secure the cub in a catch pole. Lt. Glorioso then cut the thick plastic collar of the chicken feeder and removed it from the cub's head. The cub was released back to the sow without injury."

For more information on what to do if you spot a bear in an area where it could be dangerous for residents or the animal, click here.