Watch: Man saves bear from being electrocuted after climbing utility pole

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People are applauding a utility worker in Cochise County, Arizona, for saving a bear from a dangerous situation. The worker managed to get the bear down from a power pole safely, preventing it from being electrocuted.

Werner J Neubauer explained to Storyful that he learned about the incident after getting a call reporting a bear was dangerously near electrical equipment.

I turned off the equipment and used a fiberglass pole to help the woman get down,” Neubauer explained. “My wife, Tina, recorded the whole thing on my phone.

A video circulating online shows Neubauer gently interacting with a bear, keeping a safe distance. He carefully guides the animal with a nudge, encouraging it to move without causing it or himself any harm.

Okay, so this is a crazy story! I was reading about how a lineman in Arizona saved a bear from getting seriously hurt. Apparently, this bear climbed a power pole – talk about a bad idea! – and was risking getting electrocuted. The lineman managed to get the bear to climb down, and thankfully, it ran off okay. It’s wild to think about how close that bear came to disaster!

— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 1, 2025

After a short confrontation, the bear finally lost its grip on the pole and tumbled to the ground, playfully scratching at the wood as it slid down.

The animal was unharmed and quickly ran to a different pole. It seemed to think about climbing, but then decided against it and simply walked off.

Neubauer has experience with challenging rescues like this one. Back in 2021, he successfully helped a young bear that was in danger of being electrocuted on a power pole.

Reports of bears climbing poles date back even further. For example, in 1989, police chased a black bear in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and it ended up climbing a pole to escape.

Someone shot her with a tranquilizer dart hoping to sedate her, but it missed and struck a transformer, which exploded. Thankfully, she wasn’t seriously hurt and was back with her baby a few days later.

It’s not always power lines and bears, though. Last November, a chef in Japan actually fought off a bear by using a judo throw! Amazingly, he went right back to making ramen, despite being covered in blood.

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2025-12-01 19:19