Dec. 2 (UPI) — A bear that was in danger of electrocution on a utility pole in Arizona was rescued by a lineman who poked the animal with a fiberglass stick.
Werner J. Neubauer said he responded to the scene in Cochise County after receiving a call that a bear had climbed the utility pole and was in danger of electrocution.
Neubauer shut off the power to the pole’s equipment and went up in a bucket truck to encourage the bear to descend.
A video recorded by his wife shows Neubauer prodding at the bear until it slides down the pole and heads back out into the wild.
Neubauer said the incident wasn’t his first bear rodeo — he previously came to the rescue of a young bear spotted lying atop a utility pole in 2021.