Robin Dawson said he was driving along Highway 56 in Union County, New Mexico, when he saw a bear stranded on a utility pole and called 911. He said the bear was hanging above power lines and appeared to be in distress before it was electrocuted while trying to come down on Monday, July 20.
Highway 56 and Gladstone
Dawson said the bear was at the top of a high-voltage power pole that was charged. He told Storyful, “You could tell the bear was alive but in distress. You could hear it panting from across the road.”
Shannon Mullens captured video on Monday showing the bear panting with its hind paws dangling in the air as it hung from the pole amid power lines. Several motorists stopped by the pole to take photos of the animal while it remained up there for about an hour and a half.
New Mexico Department of Wildlife
The New Mexico Department of Wildlife said it was notified around 10 a.m. local time on July 20 about a bear that climbed a power pole east of Gladstone. The department said the reporting party was told to leave the bear alone so it could come down on its own, and local dispatch was asked to tell concerned citizens the same thing.
Authorities and the Union County Sheriff's Office were notified, along with the power company and wildlife department conservation officers. The department said the closest conservation officer was about 80 miles away and the nearest town was 40 miles or more away, slowing the response in a remote part of New Mexico.
Robin Dawson
Dawson said he waited for over 30 minutes for authorities to show up. He also said 911 told him Fish and Game was not going to do anything, and later said the dispatcher told him the power company was called after about 20 calls about the bear but did not make it in time.
On July 23, Dawson said the Raton division of Fish and Game told him the bear had been “electrocuted when it tried to get down.” The New Mexico Department of Wildlife said the bear likely climbed the pole because it was startled by something it perceived as a threat, and reminded the public to leave wildlife alone when encountering it.
