Bear Dies After Electrocution While Stranded Atop New Mexico Utility Pole

A black bear that scaled a utility pole in remote New Mexico was electrocuted and killed before rescue efforts could be mounted, according to reports. The animal, spotted Monday near Gladstone roughly 170 miles east of Santa Fe, became stranded atop the structure’s crossarm in an incident documented on video that circulated widely across social media platforms.

Video footage shows the bear clinging to the pole while panting heavily and struggling to maintain balance at considerable height above the ground. The Department of the Interior shared the clip on Wednesday with a lighthearted caption acknowledging the unusual nature of the encounter. Neither the Interior Department nor the New Mexico Department of Wildlife immediately provided additional information to media outlets.

Shannon Mullens, who recorded the footage while traveling on Highway 56 from Red River toward Oklahoma, initially mistook the animal for deceased. “We really didn’t believe what we saw at first, so we turned around to get another look,” Mullens told researchers who verified the video. “At first, we thought that the bear was dead, until we got closer to it, and then we realized that he was still alive.”

A 911 dispatcher noted that tranquilizing the bear while perched atop the pole risked causing it to fall, complicating rescue options. Wildlife biologists attribute such climbing behavior to bears attempting escape from perceived threats including humans, vehicles, or dogs, using the poles much as they would natural trees.

A 2021 incident in Arizona demonstrated successful alternative outcomes when wildlife personnel managed to safely retrieve a bear from a similar predicament, suggesting different responses are possible depending on circumstances.