On July 1, ECO Smith received a call from a resident in the hamlet of Round Top about a black bear cub with what appeared to be a bucket stuck on its head. ECO Smith responded to the location, but the cub had wandered into a nearby wooded area by the time he arrived. Over the course of the next several days, the Officer received multiple calls and text messages from nearby residents, including a photograph of the cub perched on a tree trunk with a plastic chicken feeder on its head, an object unlikely to break apart or fall off without intervention. On July 10, ECO Smith received a call from the manager of a resort in Round Top who located the cub in a wooded area. ECO Smith, Lt. Glorioso, and New York State Police Trooper Alberts responded to the area, located the cub-now accompanied by additional cubs and a sow-and formulated a plan to remove the object. The sow was hazed away from the area to provide enough space and time for the responding Officers to secure the cub in a catch pole. Lt. Glorioso then cut the thick plastic collar of the chicken feeder and removed it from the cub's head. The cub was released back to the sow without injury. For more information on reducing human-bear conflicts, visit DEC's website.
Black bear cub with chicken feeder stuck on its head
Lt. Glorioso and ECO Smith after successfully removing the feeder
Close-up of the bear cub
Black bear cub with chicken feeder stuck on its head
Lt. Glorioso and ECO Smith after successfully removing the feeder
Close-up of the bear cub
