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Bear Clings for Life on Arizona Power Pole Until Lineman Risks Everything
Matthew Russell
A young black bear climbed a utility pole in Cochise County and clung to the top as live equipment hummed below. A single misstep could have turned fatal. Lineman Werner J. Neubauer arrived with one goal: get the animal down alive. He shut off the power to the pole’s equipment, a step he called essential to “keep it from getting itself killed,” as he told 7 News WHDH.
Photo: YouTube / FOX Weather
A black bear climbed a utility pole in Cochise County and became stuck.
A Careful Approach at a Dangerous Height
Neubauer lifted himself toward the bear in a bucket truck. His calm approach contrasted with the bear’s tense grip. He used a fiberglass stick to encourage the animal to descend, explaining to USA TODAY that he “worked with a fiberglass stick to get her to climb down” after cutting the power. The bear resisted, swatting and shifting its weight as it tried to stay atop the pole.
Video recorded by his wife captured the moment the bear finally slid down the pole, a scene first shared by UPI. The bear reached the ground unharmed and bolted toward open desert.
Photo: YouTube / FOX Weather
The bear risked electrocution due to live equipment on the pole.
A Growing Pattern of Bear Encounters
Officials confirmed to ABC15 that the bear immediately attempted to climb a second pole before rethinking its plan and fleeing. Bears have appeared more often across central and southern Arizona as food becomes scarce in higher elevations.
Arizona Game and Fish liaison Mark Frieberg told the station that bears move closer to communities when seeking “bear necessities” like food during periods of limited resources.
Neubauer knows these calls well. He told AZCentral this was not his first rescue and that he dealt with a similar situation in 2021. He joked later that coworkers have been “calling me a bear whisperer.”
Safe Return to the Wild
After sliding down the pole, the bear ran toward the hills. Neubauer watched it disappear, relieved that the coordinated shutdown and careful coaxing worked. The rescue ended without injury to wildlife or workers—an outcome that feels rare in situations where fear and infrastructure collide.
