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.
The head-scratching scenario has happened before — including in 2021, when another bear got stuck atop a utility pole in Arizona but was safely rescued.
Wildlife experts believe the odd occurrence happens when a bear — especially a young or startled one — is spooked by people, traffic, or dogs, and scales the utility pole exactly like they would a tall tree.
