Bear rescued after getting stuck in icy ditch during hibernation

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A bear in Minnesota was rescued by local authorities on Monday after it became stuck in an icy culvert during his winter hibernation.

The 6-year-old bear had hunkered down in a roadside culvert near Wannaska to sleep through the winter but became stuck in the snow after the ice melted, according to a Facebook post from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

"Unfortunately, melting snow can sometimes flood bears out of culverts, and that’s what happened here: The culvert started to flood and this bear got stuck in the deep snow and ice. Thanks to your caring calls, we were able to get this bear out quickly," the post read.

Andrew Tri, a bear biologist with the department, deemed the bear to be healthy but groggy after waking up from his winter sleep.

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Officials in Minnesota say a bear stuck in an icy culvert after hibernating for the winter was rescued. (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)

"Looks like the bear is about 6 years old and 375-400 pounds (and yes, he’s a boy)," the post said. "We safely relocated him to a state game sanctuary so that he can continue hibernating."

The post said that locals tried to feed the bear Pop Tarts, lettuce, a dead minnow, cat food, bird seed, and a Swedish fish, which the nature department urged people not to do.

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The rescued bear is believed to be 6 years old. (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)

"That might work for the Very Hungry Caterpillar in Eric Carle’s book, but it’s no good for bears. Luckily, because bears don’t have the desire to eat in the winter, the bear didn’t bite."

Tri told InForum that it took about 20 minutes to get the bear out of the hole after drugging him and about "five guys to haul him up and out of the hole" once they had freed his leg.

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Officials say the bear is 375-400 pounds and is being relocated to another den. (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources)

"He clearly smelled like runoff – stinky, stagnant water – but generally speaking, I don’t think he was totally frozen in," Tri explained. "I think he just got caught up in some of that thick ice where he pushed out and just hooked himself goofy. We did a little chipping away out of the culvert and were able to roll him on his back and extract his leg.

"There was a little bit of blood on the outside of the hole where he had been scraping trying to pull himself up, but (he was) no worse for wear and in real good shape."