Bear Dies on 22-Foot New Mexico Utility Pole Carrying 7,200 Volts
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 23
Bear Dies on 22-Foot New Mexico Utility Pole Carrying 7,200 Volts
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 23
Summary
A black bear stranded about 22 feet up a utility pole east of Gladstone, New Mexico, was electrocuted before a utility crew and sheriff’s deputy reached the scene.
Shannon Mullens spotted the bear Monday on a rural highway, filmed it panting near 7,200-volt lines, and called 911, but dispatchers said intervention risked making it fall.
Union County Sheriff Curtis Skaggs said authorities could mainly keep people back and give the animal space; by the time responders arrived, its body was already on the ground.
The widely shared video has drawn attention to the danger high-voltage infrastructure poses to wildlife, a risk scientists say could grow with land development and climate change.