The bear with a sore head: Cub saved 10 days after getting stuck in plastic bottle

By Mail Foreign Service

I'm stuck! The black cub poked his head into the plastic bottle while digging through rubbish with his sibling


It's more than likely this cub was like a bear with a sore head after getting stuck in a plastic bottle for more than 10 days.

The six-month-old, affectionately known as 'jarhead', was days away from death after not being able to eat or drink for more than a week, animal welfare experts claim.

Like a scene out of Winnie The Pooh, the black cub poked its head into the container while digging through rubbish for food with its mother and sibling in Weirsdale, central Florida.

Residents in the small community in the vast Ocala National Forest saw the little one wandering with his head trapped in the clear container, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

It took 10 days for officials to track down the bear family using baited traps and following up frantic leads by concerned residents.

The team assumed Jarhead was dead after its wary mother avoided traps for more than a week.


Rescued: The mother bear and her two cubs in captivity near Ocala National Forest, Florida


However, biologists spotted the family and shot the protective female with a tranquiliser gun.

They grabbed the cub and managed to remove the container from his head.

After an overnight stay with his groggy mother, Jarhead and the whole family were moved to a less populated part of the forest for safety and released back into the wild.


Saved: The bears are released back into the wild after the cub was rescued


Mike Orlando, biologist with the FWC, said: 'It was a lot easier said than done.

'The residents were really great about calling us when they saw the bears, but it seemed like we were always about 20 minutes behind.'

The FWC added: 'Although the story appears to have a happy ending, it truly illustrates one of the worst things that can happen when wildlife gets into garbage.'



source: dailymail