A hulking bear was seen stranded at the top of a utility pole in New Mexico.
A traveller who witnessed the unusual sight filmed it and shared online, with the video going viral.
The jaw-dropping video posted on X was reshared by the US Department of the Interior on Wednesday, July 22, and racked up tens of thousands of views.
“We appreciate the enthusiasm for American Energy Dominance, but this isn’t what we meant,” the department joked in its post.
The video, which was verified to be real, shows the bear gripping the power line pole with its front paws while letting its hind legs hang down in rural Gladstone on Monday, July 20.
A 911 caller behind the camera tells the operator, “I’m calling to report a bear on top of a light pole.”
Having already received reports about the bear, the operator informs the caller that “I’ve already called Game and Fish, and they said there’s nothing that they can do.”
The operator goes on to explain that if wildlife professionals tranquilize the bear, it would not survive from the fall.
Shannon Mullens, who witnessed the unusual occurrence, told Storyful she was traveling from New Mexico to Oklahoma on Highway 56 when she spotted the animal.
“We really didn’t believe what we saw at first, so we turned around to get another look,” Mullens said.
“At first, we thought that the bear was de@d, until we got closer to it and then we realized that he was still alive.”
Tragically, the bear di£d some time later.
The New Mexico Department of Fish and Wildlife said that despite the best efforts of local authorities, the animal was fatally electrocuted before it could have been helped.
See video below.