Frightened Minnesota Black Bear Saved From Storm Sewer

CURIOSITY TRAPPED THE BEAR

Bear have been in the spotlight over the past few weeks on a few different occasions in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota.  According to the Facebook page of the Oak Park Heights Police Department, someone first reported that they thought a large dog was trapped in a sewer drain at 57th Street North and Peller Avenue North.

Much to their surprise, it wasn't a dog at all. It was a medium sized black bear! All I'm thinking is...how in the world did a black bear get in a sewer drain?

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SCARED BEAR

When Police arrived, the bear was just sitting right under the sewer grate. When you see the pictures, he looks pretty scared. The police went around the area, and removed several sewer grates to give the bear an opportunity to find a place to exit the sewer on his own. They then flushed water through the system to get the bear moving. Once the bear found an out, he quickly exited the sewer through one of the openings and headed back towards the woods; that was probably enough excitement for him that day. They estimated that the bear was probably about 2 years old.

FREE AT LAST

There was no harm caused to the bear throughout his ordeal. Minnesota DNR Conservation Officer Chris Tetrault along with the Bayport Fire Department were also on scene to assist in freeing the bear.  Chris said that the bear was good size for a 2 year old.

If you'd like to see pictures of the bear being freed from the sewer, you can click HERE to check out the Facebook page.