16th August 2010

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BABY BEAR FREED FROM JAR

A black bear cub is safe and happy, and foraging again, after his head was freed from a plastic bottle.

The bear, nicknamed Jarhead, and his mother and two siblings frequently raided trash bins in Weirsdale, a small town in Florida’s Ocala National Forest, says CNN. In one such raid, Jarhead got his head stuck in a plastic jar. He couldn’t eat or drink for 10 days, and was wasting away when biologists caught up to him.

Following tips from concerned townspeople, the scientists tracked the bear family and laid baited traps. The mother avoided the traps for over a week. Finally, the hunters caught up to the pack, tranquilized mama, scooped up Jarhead and, “after a brief tussle … uncorked the cub.”

Jarhead rested overnight with his groggy mom before his family was moved to a less populated part of the forest.

Tags bearsbaby animalsmishaps