Sugar Island Residents Plead With DNR to Help Injured Bear

Residents of Sugar Island in Michigan's Upper Peninsula are pleading with state wildlife officials to help a bear they say has been walking around with a trap on its paw for close to a year.

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Injured Bear on Michigan's Sugar Island Leaves Residents Concerned

In a post on social media, Sugar Island resident Dawn Berry says that local police were contacted about the bear back in September of 2024. When it was reported that a bear was walking around the island with a trap stuck on its paw, the police informed residents that they should contact the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Berry alleges that they were told by a DNR employee that officers would come to the island, find the bear, tranquilize it, and safely remove the trap. But, according to Berry, that never happened.

READ MORE: Michigan Bear Trapped in Lid for 2 Years Is Finally Free

Now, nearly ten months later, Berry says that it appears that the bear removed the trap itself. However, in the process, it lost its foot.

A newly recorded video shows what residents believe to be the same bear - now with one less foot and looking extremely emaciated.

What Will Happen to the Injured Bear on Sugar Island?

According to a July 8 post in a local Sault Ste. Marie Facebook group by Dawn Berry, it seems that the DNR has heard the concerns of the residents of the island. Berry's hope is that the DNR will capture the bear and take it to Oswald's Bear Ranch, an animal shelter located in nearby Newberry. Oswald's is home to many bears and says it is

committed to the welfare of abused and neglected bears by rescuing them from various harmful circumstances.

At this point, it's unclear if the bear will be brought to Oswald's once the DNR gets involved. Hopefully, in the end, officials will work to do what is best for both the bear and the residents of Sugar Island.