Bear Climbs Utility Pole in Arizona, Worrying Residents

An unexpected visit by a bear left residents of an Arizona border city speechless.

Bear on a Pole

You've always heard about cats, birds, and rodents trapped in trees and poles, but Hawke's Bay residents saw a different kind of animal on top of a utility pole the other day.

Alva Cassell-Newman shared images of a black bear on a telephone pole outside Hawke's Bay on the Great Northern Peninsula Road Conditions Facebook page.

While black bears are exceptional climbers, they are rarely seen perched atop a utility pole.

The bear was spotted in downtown Douglas on Sunday, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

The bear was more daring than the average bear, climbing up two telephone poles and even sitting on the wires at one point.

State wildlife officers, Douglas police, the Cochise County Sheriff's Office, and the United States Border Patrol shut down U.S. Highway 191 in an attempt to get the bear to leave.

According to authorities, the apparently unfazed bear finally climbed down and scampered away, scattering about two dozen onlookers.

There were no injuries recorded.

Bear Lookout

Wildlife disruption is unpleasant and often risky for a homeowner or service provider. It is a matter of life and death for animals to navigate the man-made structures in their environments. Human populations are encroaching on natural areas, resulting in a shocking loss of biodiversity. The more biodiverse an ecosystem is, the more stable and robust it is in general.

Preventing wildlife from reaching utility poles and power lines does not entirely eradicate fragmentation's large-scale consequences. Still, it does protect your home and the animals that share your outdoor area.

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