r/interestingasfuck • u/gear-heads • 8h ago
911 operator: "911 what is your emergency?" Caller: "I'm calling to report a bear on top of a power utility pole."
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u/gear-heads 8h ago
The bear in this footage was safely coaxed down by lineman Werner Neubauer. He de-energized the pole and used a fiberglass stick to nudge it. The bear slid down and ran off unharmed into the wild. No injuries, happy ending!
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u/Specific-Radish1506 8h ago
Fucking brilliant news! Thank you for the follow up.
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u/prettylittleredditty 7h ago
Unfortunately the bear stole the linesmans picnic basket on the way out. It was all a cunning ursan reuse.
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u/UnPrecidential 7h ago
A Pic-a-nic basket you say?
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u/theservman 6h ago
It was great, I had a hat and a tie and no pants.
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u/accidental_Ocelot 6h ago
The bear took his linesmans pliers as well which is considered a dick move.
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u/Inevitable_Pudding80 7h ago
Thats not the same bear…or if it is, it climbed a second pole. The Werner Neubauer footage (from the IG post linked in here) has a pole with transformers on it. The pole in this post does not. Hopefully this bear got down just as safely.
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u/ThirstyWolfSpider 4h ago
I looked up footage of the Werner Neubauer situation and agree with you about the pole, but also expect that many people would say "No!" at the same time I did in that video.
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u/Dry-Coyote540 7h ago
I saw that too. Couldn't find anything on this bear.
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u/that1dev 4h ago
All I've seen is people pointing to various other times this has happened (a surprising amount) with a variety of outcomes and declaring it to be this bear.
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u/OmagnaT 3h ago edited 2h ago
This bear may have died. I'm not sure if this Reddit video is from today or if this is the same location
edit: this site is questionable. here's a facebook post about it as well
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ratonnm/posts/2121148971769734/?comment_id=2121155665102398
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u/nothereathere 2h ago edited 2h ago
Dude that wrote the article needs to look at that picture again.
That's a black bear. I've had one of them stand up and look in my kitchen window after dark when I was washing the dishes.
I slammed the kitchen door closed double quick. The bear decided it didn't like that noise so they went away. If it decided I looked tasty or it wanted some of what I had for dinner it could've come right through that entry door as if it wasn't even there.
My pew pew was upstairs. One of those code brown moments.
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u/calm_chowder 2h ago
If it's black, fight back
If it's brown, lay down
If it's white, goodnight
That's all I know about bears except carry bear mace and make a lot of noise.
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u/D4ltaOne 2h ago
Yeah that article is bullshit, it doesnt say anything conclusive, links to a twitter post which itself links to a bunch of facebook posts which all say something different. This legit sounds like google AI in disguise, just using everything it can find as "source" just to have an article
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7h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/SonOfMcGee 6h ago
A squirrel wedged itself in the transformer of our utility pole and electrocuted itself, blowing a fuse and cutting our power.
When the utility worker came out he went, “Yup, another squirrel.” He took out this telescoping poker thing, flung the dead squirrel into the woods, and slapped in a new fuse, all in two smooth motions. Like he’d done it 100 times.•
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u/HighwaySetara 2h ago
Years ago we lost power out of the blue one day. They got it fixed pretty fast. When I pulled out of my garage, I saw two dead squirrels in the alley, with no obvious wounds. Maybe they were to blame?
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u/ChemicalBro69 7h ago
Apparently he broke several speed records after hearing there was "a female, bare, on one of the utility poles"
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u/Tambo-Man67 7h ago
I appreciate you explaining that. I was going to be 'funny' and say something like he's just up there chilling and enjoying the view... but then I noticed the poor thing was panting and clearly distressed.
I'm glad it ended well. Hopefully a lesson learned by Bear.
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u/TeamShonuff 7h ago
Lineman Neubauer actually took that call because he’s the one who spent the night before getting high as fuck with that bear and knew if he didn’t chase it off, it would probably tell the police how and why he got up there.
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u/Realistic-Turn-8316 7h ago
TIL bears can climb up and slid down a pole like nothing.
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u/8805 3h ago
A commonly asked question in the hiking and camping subs is "if I have a bear encounter, should I climb up a tree?" and the answer is "sure, if you want to be up a tree with a bear!"
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u/nanobot001 7h ago
> coax
I see what you did there
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u/realTommyVercetti 7h ago
I thought to myself. They roped the bear with coax and drug him down the pole? Then my brain kicked on and i realized.
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u/nanobot001 6h ago
This being reddit, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't a version of what you were describing
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u/gronstalker12 8h ago
Thanks for this update. Hearing dispatch say leave it be and no one can do anything was anger inducing.
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u/trumplehumple 7h ago
they should have at least considered poking it with a stick
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u/greenmachine11235 7h ago
It sounded like the plan was to let the animal do what eventually happened without humans harassing it. Let it climb down when it wanted to rather than chase it down in a human timeline.
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u/Exotic_Drawing9841 7h ago
Dispatcher is in a windowless room somewhere and exhausted options they had known to them. Lol what else was she supposed to do? All the experts said their methods would result in harm to the bear.
Im not a bear expert, I too didn't think it would be able to easily come on down
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u/Revicious 5h ago
How is it anger inducing, what is she even supposed to say, its not like there is an exact script for what to do when there is a bear on a powerpole.
U hear the most random shit everyday as dispatcher and you’re just trying to help or come up with an idea on the spot, extremely difficult job→ More replies (2)•
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u/Significant-Secret88 7h ago edited 6h ago
video here too: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRupJIAjtBQ/
bear gets down, starts climbing another pole, then luckily changes its mind!
Edit: people pointed out it's neither the same pole nor the same bear, had another look and in fact they're all right! sorry for spreading misinformation ... now I'm not quite sure about the fate of the bear on the original post
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u/allanz0rd 7h ago
in all this years...
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u/schalk81 7h ago
Must be a pole-ar bear.
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u/Capelily 7h ago
The bear was definitely stressed. Glad it made it okay!
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u/Cultural_Object5828 7h ago
Yeah poor guy, he definitely looks stressed and regretting scaling this branch-less ‘tree’.
Glad to see the update that he made it down safely. Love da bears 🐻
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u/eddie1975 7h ago
It’s got a couple branches at the top. He’s chilling on one. And enjoying the view while contemplating life.
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u/A11theWarhammers 6h ago
It was hot. It was that 100 degree day and it was flirting with heat stroke. Its instincts where screaming for it to climb a tree for safety and cover and the pole was the best it could do.
Source; I grew up autistic in the forest with busy parents and currently live a little down the way from this, but on the mountain side.
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u/tapeforpacking 5h ago
Source; I grew up autistic in the forest with busy parents and currently live a little down the way from this, but on the mountain side
Genuinely confused on what this has to do with anything lol
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u/subarulandrover 5h ago
Everybody knows autistic people can talk to animals
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u/Ursa_Solaris 2h ago
Everyone can talk to animals but they only talk back to autists and schizophrenics
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u/BannedSvenhoek86 3h ago
"I grew up autistic in the forest" is one my favorite starts to a sentence I've ever read. The mind bursts from the possibilities of what could follow.
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u/jillsntferrari 4h ago
Likely had an interest in the world around them and a lot of time to entertain themselves.
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u/Agitated_Guess5057 7h ago
She said “just leave it be” like they had another option😂😂
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u/Arickettsf16 4h ago
Imagine what the first call sounded like. Probably thought they were dealing with a mental health patient.
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u/Agitated_Guess5057 4h ago
Either that or a prankster
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u/dedarou96 3h ago
They were mentally preparing themselves to be met with a punchline they haven't heard before.
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u/LukeSkyWalrus 7h ago
Bears are freakishly good climbers. If there were food at the top of utility poles then they would all climb these. I wonder if there were bees around and the bear was looking for the hive?
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u/GGTheEnd 3h ago
I had a tree in my back yard about 3-4 times the height of this pole. A bear climbed all the way to the top and the tree snapped at the top, he fell all the way to the ground and immediately walked it off.
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u/Excellent-Bite196 7h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/UupxQs7TY6FdGd3HLj
Bear definitely saw some graboids.
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u/Nerdmitage 7h ago
Pigeons being like gurl we know we told you it's nice and warm up there on our feetsies but I don't think it's going to work the same for you coo. 🍿👀
Glad they got it down safe though that's a town disaster if the bear had been electrocuted and blacked out the town. Not to mention a horrible thing to happen to a curious bear.
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u/shemp33 6h ago
911 Operator: "Uhh, just leave it be..."
Ya think? I thought I'd find a long stick and go poke him some.... 🤣
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u/Comfortable_Rub2377 8h ago
Dispatcher definitely had to ask them to repeat that one. 😂
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u/Budgiemanr33gtr 7h ago
You can clearly hear the dispatcher already received the same call from other people. She didn't have to ask them to repeat. She verified it as she was being told.
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u/DCGeos 7h ago
It's right in the 911 handbook, go under the bear and go pspspsps pspspsps pspspsps. /s
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u/Laringar 5h ago
"Instructions unclear, now there are 11 cats on the pole as well."
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u/Separate-Simple-5101 8h ago
911 operator: Sir... are you absolutely sure it's a bear?'
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u/I_AM_VENNLIG 7h ago
Just leave it be? Oh, ok, so I'm not to climb up and get it down? That works for me.
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u/chili81 7h ago
I always seem to get bird poop on my car when I park under powerlines. I guess it’s not that bad.
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u/DazzleBMoney 7h ago
“They could go and shoot it…”
I was thinking classic America until they added “with a tranquilliser” haha
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u/7803throwaway 1h ago
“Members of a local New Mexico Facebook group later said that the bear died from electrocution; those reports, however, remain unconfirmed.”
😭😭😭😭😭
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u/LeftOfTrack 7h ago
I swear if I was the electrician on call I would quit my job.
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u/Spare-Competition-91 4h ago
I just wonder what the bear was doing up there to begin with. Maybe he wanted a better view?
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u/BannedSvenhoek86 3h ago
I'm an electrician myself and I have to say, few things are worse than going to work on something high up and finding a wasps nest. Finding a bear on my pole would in indeed qualify as worse.
Slightly. The bear would honestly probably be more chill.
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u/coalitionofilling 3h ago
Looks like the guy that coaxed this bear down had a bit of experience with other bears in the past as well:
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u/croi_gaiscioch 2h ago
The Union is now involved. After checking his credentials they discovered he was un-koalafied as a linesman.
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u/Chief-JudgeVega 59m ago
"You cannot rest when enemies are near"
"Where??? I DON'T SEE ANY FU...oh"
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u/Core2009 7h ago
Put one of those emergency inflatable things underneath it, shot it with a tranquilizer and boom rescued, that is if it doesn’t go into shock after…well getting shocked, shot with a tranquilizer and falling wrong, that is. Damn this is a wild one.
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u/El_Beakerr 7h ago
Even the bears are getting tired of these electric bill rates.
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u/CanIBuyUrSocks 6h ago
We had a rooster climb, a telephone pole in my alley about a month ago. And that was the craziest thing I’d seen up a telephone pole till now haha
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u/BmacTheSage 6h ago
Dang, those poles must be well built to be able to hold up what looks to be a pretty big bear. Dude has to weigh 500 lbs minimum probably
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u/technobrendo 6h ago
"Leave it be".
Are you sure, I was thinking of going up there too chill with him
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u/Underscored_323 5h ago
Hmm, Pink Floyd playing in the background... On the caller's side or the dispatcher side?
If I was the caller, I'd be like turning that shit down, cause, "... there's a fucking bear on the power pole!"
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u/I_Say_Lots_Of_Words 5h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/puOukoEvH4uAw
“This is a funny looking tree I climbed”.
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u/Separate-Simple-5101 7h ago
Bear: 'I can explain...'