[Sportschosun Reporter Jang Jong-ho] A wild bear hanging from the top of a utility pole was caught on camera, drawing attention online.
According to U.S. media outlets including the New York Post, a video filmed recently near Gladstone, New Mexico, showed a bear barely clinging to a crossarm on a utility pole with its front paws while its hind legs dangled in the air.
A witness at the scene reported to rescue workers, "There is a bear on top of the utility pole." However, the dispatcher said the same report had already been received several times and explained, "We also contacted wildlife authorities, but they said there was nothing they could do right away."
The dispatcher added that if a tranquilizer gun were used to sedate the bear, it could fall from the height and suffer even greater harm, making rescue efforts difficult.
One witness said, "At first, I thought I was seeing things," and added, "I turned the car around to check again."
"From a distance, I thought the bear was already dead," he said. "I only realized it was alive when I got closer."
Unfortunately, the bear was not rescued.
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish said, "Officials at the scene did their best to rescue the bear, but it was electrocuted and died before help could reach it."
Experts said bears sometimes climb utility poles after mistaking them for trees while trying to escape threats such as people, vehicles, or dogs.
They added that because utility poles carry electricity, bears often cannot climb back down on their own once they go up, and the situation can easily lead to electrocution.
Reporter Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
