This might be the most Minnesotan story you read this week.
A hibernating bear fell into a strange situation earlier this week after it became stuck in a snow culvert in northwestern Minnesota. According to state officials, residents of the area helped the bear by feeding it Pop-Tarts and other treats.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shared that the bear had been hunkered down for the winter in a Wannaska, Minnesota, culvert, a common place for the creatures to hibernate. However, when the snow melts, bears can be flooded out of culverts, and that’s what the DNR says happened here, causing the bear to get “stuck in the deep snow and ice.”
The DNR shared that this is a common situation with the creatures, but what wasn’t was the feast the bear partook in, thanks to those in the area.
While residents in the area attempted to dig the bear out of his ice prison, they also offered him a buffet of human and animal food that included six Pop-Tarts, a head of lettuce, Swedish Fish, bird seed, a dead sucker minnow, and Fancy Feast cat food.
After officials with the DNR were able to free him, the department’s bear biologist Andrew Tri determined that he was healthy but “groggy,” which could have been from being woken up from his slumber.
The bear has safely been relocated to a state game sanctuary, so he can now go back to sleep after his difficult and delicious time being stuck in the snow.
While the encounter had a happy ending, the DNR shared that anyone who stumbles upon a bear should not bother it as they can become dangerous in the winter when looking for food.
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