It’s not something you see every day: A bear with a barrel lid around his neck. But a young black bear in Michigan proves that even the unusual can happen. The bruin is finally free after spending nearly two years with a plastic lid stuck around its neck.
Wildlife experts with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) were finally able to trap the bear earlier this month and safely remove the hard plastic lid. The bear had been seen on trail cameras as early as 2023, when the bear was still a cub.
Incredible survival story of the bear with a barrel lid around his neck
“It’s pretty incredible that the bear survived and was able to feed itself,” said state bear specialist Cody Norton. “The neck was scarred and missing hair, but the bear was in much better condition than we expected it to be.”
The bear was first spotted on a trail camera in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula. Since then, DNR officials had been trying to track it down. It wasn’t until late May 2025 that the bear showed up again on camera—still wearing the lid.
That’s when the DNR set up a cylindrical trap and successfully lured the bear inside. On June 3, wildlife staff safely immobilized it with an injection and quickly cut off the lid. The bear later woke up and wandered off on its own.
How did the bear with barrel lid around his neck manage to survive?
Angela Kujawa, a wildlife biologist who was on the scene, said she had wondered how the bear had managed to function with the lid on.
“And he probably laid more on his back or side when he was resting,” she said.
It’s not clear how the lid got stuck on the bear in the first place. Bear baiting is legal in Michigan, and often involves putting food inside barrels with lids. However, the holes in those lids are supposed to be large enough to prevent situations like this.
Despite the ordeal, the bear was found to be in surprisingly good shape. It weighed about 110 pounds, which is normal for a 2-year-old bear.
“We were pleasantly surprised. It was still able to make a living like a pretty typical bear,” Norton said.
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RVT1214b
Love the story. Here is another (probably take a couple posts)- In the Keweenaw (island peninsula on top of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula) was a bear that learned to beg roadside from tourists. Never feed a wild bear! They will lose desire to hunt for themselves and place both themselves and turons at risk. This bear had been tagged and relocated twice (local nickname was Two-tags). A fellow came into a local resort and chatted about a tame bear. Requires a very hard to get special license and the resort owner wasn’t aware of any in the Keweenaw.
With more questioning, the fellow started to describe Two-tags. <continued>
<Resume> The resort owner politely listened – until the turon talked about how the bear liked having its belly rubbed. The resort owner loudly and profanely interrupted the story to inform this fellow it wasn’t a tame bear and he was lucky he wasn’t missing a hand or other bodily parts.
Within a few years, a visiting hunter filled his license and turned Two-tags decorative earrings in to register the kill. While nobody can prove it, most locals are pretty sure Two-tags was illegally harvested from the road shoulder.
Hi Jim: Interesting but sad story.
This is indeed a great story of survival – one way or another! Can you picture the sleeping or hibernation periods? Not pleasant for sure!
Thank you for sharing the complete story, including the happy ending, Russ and Tina! Have a great day and safe travels!