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NYS DEC officers rescue bear in Allegany County

Officers were notified by DEC Central Dispatch that a person checking coyote traps at a farm in the Town of Cuba found a bear caught in one of the foothold traps.

Credit: NYS DEC

DEC officers rescue a bear trapped

ALLEGANY COUNTY, N.Y. — New York State Department of Conservation officers came to the rescue of a bear who found itself in a bit of a bind earlier this month.

Officers were notified by DEC Central Dispatch that a person checking coyote traps at a farm in the Town of Cuba found a bear caught in one of the foothold traps.

Three DEC officers met at the property and one of the officers brought a large piece of plywood with a cutout at the bottom to place around the bear's trapped paw.

While two of the officers held the plywood in place, the other officer was able to release the bear's paw from the trap. The bear ran away, but officials say it looked healthy and was relatively unharmed. You can watch video of the rescue below.

On November 4th, 2023 Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) Powers received a phone call from Central Dispatch explaining that they had received a call from an individual who was checking his coyote traps in the Town of Cuba in Allegany County. As the man was checking the trap’s he walked up to a bear that had accidentally got himself caught in one of the foot hold traps. The individual immediately contacted the DEC for assistance. After receiving the phone call ECO Powers then contacted his brother ECO Jamie Powers for assistance. ECO Bobseine was also informed of the situation and eagerly agreed to assist. The three met up at the property where the bear was stuck and were greeted by the concerned trapper who guided the Officers to the scene. ECO Bobseine wisely brought with him a large piece of plywood. He then used a saw to cut an opening in the bottom of the plywood to be placed around the trapped bear paw. ECO’s Bobseine and Jason Powers then held the plywood against the bear while ECO Jamie Powers released the paw from the trap. The bear immediately ran away healthy and unharmed but soon returned to a nearby puddle for a much-needed drink of water.
Posted by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation on Wednesday, November 15, 2023

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