In a truly tragic scene, a bear was seen desperately clinging to the summit of a towering 35-foot telephone pole, only to face electrocution moments later.
A passing motorist made the startling discovery near Clayton, New Mexico, casting a somber tone over an otherwise ordinary drive.
Captured on video, the bear could be seen struggling for balance on the narrow crossarm of the pole, visibly panting as it fought to maintain its precarious position.
‘We couldn’t believe our eyes at first; we had to turn back to really understand what was happening,’ Shannon Mullens shared with Storyful, a social media content agency.
‘Initially, we assumed the bear might have been lifeless, but as we drew closer, it became clear that the bear was still alive.’
During a frantic 911 call captured in the video, taken on Monday, an operator told the concerned witness to ‘just leave it be.’
‘I’ve already called Game and Fish, and they said there’s nothing that they can do,’ the operator explained. ‘They could go and shoot it and tranquilize it to get it down, but if they do that, then it’s gonna fall and hurt itself.’
The ordeal ultimately ended in horror when the bear was electrocuted before officials could rescue it.
A stranded bear was spotted by a driver near Clayton, New Mexico, on Monday
Wildlife specialists explained that frightened bears, particularly younger animals, may instinctively climb utility poles for safety after being startled by vehicles, humans or dogs.
Another witness who filmed the incident and contacted authorities later claimed the animal was electrocuted after officials ‘refused to come out.’
Advocacy group World Animal News criticized the response, arguing that officials should have made greater efforts to rescue the bear.
‘The heartbreaking incident has renewed discussion about how wildlife emergencies involving animals in immediate, life-threatening situations should be handled,’ the agency said.
‘Every wildlife emergency deserves prompt attention, careful assessment, and, whenever possible, every reasonable effort to help animals in distress and give them the best possible chance of survival.
‘May this precious soul rest in peace. We must do better for wildlife in crisis.’
In a statement to Storyful, a spokesman for the New Mexico Department of Wildlife suggested the animal’s death was caused by members of the public who had stopped ‘to film and take pictures of the bear.’
‘The reporting party was instructed to leave the bear alone so it could come down on its own and local dispatch was asked to instruct concerned citizens to leave the bear alone; however, some members of the public continued to stop next to the power pole to film and take pictures of the bear, so the bear remained at the top of the pole,’ the representative wrote.
Footage showed the bear balancing precariously on a 35ft telephone pole’s crossarm, panting as it struggled to keep its footing
The bear was later electrocuted before wildlife officials could rescue it
‘A Union County sheriff’s deputy, the power company and Department conservation officers were notified. Unfortunately, the bear sustained fatal injuries before they arrived,’ the spokesman added.
A similar incident happened last year in Arizona, when another bear had climbed atop a telephone pole.
Werner J Neubauer, a lineman, was called to the scene in Cochise County and quickly went to work de-energizing the equipment and deployed a fiberglass stick to get the animal to climb down.
The bear initially refused to budge but eventually climbed safely back to the ground.