Matthew Russell
A younger black bear climbed a utility pole in Cochise County and clung to the highest as stay gear hummed beneath. A single misstep might have turned deadly. Lineman Werner J. Neubauer arrived with one objective: get the animal down alive. He shut off the ability to the pole’s gear, a step he referred to as important to “preserve it from getting itself killed,” as he advised 7 Information WHDH.
Photograph: YouTube / FOX Climate
A black bear climbed a utility pole in Cochise County and have become caught.
A Cautious Method at a Harmful Top
Neubauer lifted himself towards the bear in a bucket truck. His calm method contrasted with the bear’s tense grip. He used a fiberglass stick with encourage the animal to descend, explaining to USA TODAY that he “labored with a fiberglass stick with get her to climb down” after chopping the ability. The bear resisted, swatting and shifting its weight because it tried to remain atop the pole.
Video recorded by his spouse captured the second the bear lastly slid down the pole, a scene first shared by UPI. The bear reached the bottom unhurt and bolted towards open desert.
Photograph: YouTube / FOX Climate
The bear risked electrocution because of stay gear on the pole.
A Rising Sample of Bear Encounters
Officers confirmed to ABC15 that the bear instantly tried to climb a second pole earlier than rethinking its plan and fleeing. Bears have appeared extra usually throughout central and southern Arizona as meals turns into scarce in greater elevations.
Arizona Sport and Fish liaison Mark Frieberg advised the station that bears transfer nearer to communities when looking for “bear requirements” like meals in periods of restricted sources.
Neubauer is aware of these calls properly. He advised AZCentral this was not his first rescue and that he handled the same scenario in 2021. He joked later that coworkers have been “calling me a bear whisperer.”
Protected Return to the Wild
After sliding down the pole, the bear ran towards the hills. Neubauer watched it disappear, relieved that the coordinated shutdown and cautious coaxing labored. The rescue ended with out harm to wildlife or employees—an end result that feels uncommon in conditions the place worry and infrastructure collide.
