Bear cub climbs into power substation, waddles around high-voltage equipment



SHELTON, Wash. -- A bear cub was captured unharmed after it had climbed into a power substation and unknowingly courted death as it snooped around high-voltage equipment.

Mason County PUD spokesman Joel Myer said Monday that state Fish & Wildlife officers captured the bear a week ago, after it was spotted in the substation on Olympic Highway in Shelton.

The cub actually made it safely out of the area on its own, Myer said, by scaling a light pole and then moving on to a nearby tree. Wildlife officials used doughnuts to lure the bear into a trap.

The bear was picked up by an Idaho black bear rehabilitation center Sunday.