GET OUT OF THAT PIC-I-NICK BASKET!
“Creature” stuck in a Costco-sized trail mix container narrowly escapes death
A bear cub with a plastic bucket stuck to its head led the Mammoth Lakes Police Department (MLPD) on a two-day chase: From Red’s Meadow, to the top of Mammoth Mountain, through the Industrial Park and finally ending near Shady Rest Campground. You’d think a bear with a bucket on its head would be easy to find, but this cub was cunning and agile, even though it couldn’t see, eat or drink.
The first call about the buckethead came in from Red’s Meadows on the morning of Wednesday, August 3, the caller claiming to have seen the bear near Rainbow Falls.
The next call came in from a bicycle rider at the top of Mammoth Mountain. The rider reported he had seen a “creature” the size of a wolverine with a plastic bucket on its head, said Steve Searles, Wildlife Specialist and “Bear Whisperer” for the Town of Mammoth Lakes.
The rider threw down his bike and chased after the creature, tackled it, maybe twice, according to Searles. MLPD Sergeant Eric Hugelman said the biker was trying to grab the bear’s hind legs, but unsuccessfully. This wasn’t the bear’s last defensive move.
