Black Bears Rescued from Traps in NY

Summary:

ROCKLAND, NY – New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) recently rescued two young black bears from leg-hold traps in the Catskills. On November 18, a trapper notified ECOs about two yearling black bears stuck in foothold traps within a few feet of each other in the town of Rockland, Sullivan County, NY.

ECO Johnson and Lieutenant Lattimer responded to the location and met with the licensed trapper who was legally trapping bobcats when he accidentally trapped the bears. Each bear had a front paw trapped in the footholds and was unable to escape. ECO Johnson pinned one bear down using a catchpole while Lieutenant Lattimer used a piece of plywood as a shield, allowing the trapper to safely access the bear’s front paw and free it. They successfully repeated the process with the second bear and both animals ran off into the woods.

Result: