A bear in New Mexico climbed to new heights and went viral for its efforts.
The bear scaled a utility pole in a rural part of the state and garnered the attention of a passer-by before being electrocuted.
The encounter happened Monday near Gladstone, New Mexico, the bear was perched on the crossarm of the utility pole, trying to maintain its balance.
The U.S. Department of the Interior shared the video Wednesday, joking, "We appreciate the enthusiasm for American Energy Dominance, but this isn't what we meant."
The footage, verified by Storyful, includes audio from a 911 caller.
"I'm calling to report a bear on top of a light pole," the caller tells a dispatcher.
The dispatcher responded that state officials had already been notified. The dispatcher added tranquilizing the animal while it remained on top of the pole could cause it to fall.
Shannon Mullens, who recorded the video, told Storyful she was traveling from Red River, New Mexico, to Oklahoma on Highway 56 when she and her family spotted the animal. The originally thought the bear was dead.
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"We really didn't believe what we saw at first, so we turned around to get another look," Mullens said. "At first, we thought that the bear was dead, until we got closer to it, and then we realized that he was still alive."
The bear was electrocuted and died before wildlife officials could safely rescue it, the New York Post reported.
According to wildlife experts, Bears can climb utility poles after becoming startled by people, traffic or dogs, much like they do trees to to escape danger.
In 2021, wildlife officials safely rescued a bear that had climbed a utility pole in Arizona.