A bear in Tennessee is “in remarkably good condition” after living with its head trapped in a plastic jug for nearly two months.
On August 14, the bear was spotted and reported to the Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR) and the Tennessee Wildlife Agency (TWRA) because its head was trapped in a dumpster, the nonprofit ABR posted on Facebook.
The male cub lived with his face stuck in the tank for almost two months after the first sighting. Now the animal is “resting well” after a TWRA biologist approached and caught the bear while it was sleeping and helped remove the jug on Tuesday, after several failed trap attempts.
The cub was originally seen with a jug on its head this summer while traveling with its mother and three siblings in Blount County, Tennessee. As temperatures hovered above 90 degrees, organizations realized “weather is of the essence,” ABR shared with Facebook.
“TWRA Biologist Janelle Musser took immediate action, setting traps in the area where the bear family was seen,” the organization wrote, adding that the area where the bears were off-grid. “Thankfully, citizens in the area shared our concern for the cub. The community pulled together and anyone who saw the bear immediately contacted TWRA or ABR (or both). We can’t thank our local citizens enough for all they did to help this little one teddy bear!”
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He juggles a bear after being rescued by Appalachian Bear Rescue.
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Although the cub entered the traps on several occasions, the bear did not stumble, but the eventual “call of citizens from the area” saved the animal’s life.
After locals spotted the “pitch cub” and chased it up a tree on Oct. 3, they called TWRA, and Musser led the team that finally removed the container from the cub’s head.
“Swinging bears in trees is not standard practice and is only done in an emergency,” said Musser, per Knox news. “This cub wouldn’t be able to survive like this.”
After the bear was sedated, the rescuers brought the animal to the ABR to remove the tank around its head.
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The jug ended up being part of an automatic pet feeder and contained two holes, allowing the animal to eat and breathe despite the obstacles it faced.
“It must have been difficult for the bear, but apparently he still managed to get a small amount of food and enough water to survive all this time,” ABR published on X (formerly known as Twitter). “We received the first call on August 14, and on October 3, the pitcher was finally removed!
Juggler Bear – as he was affectionately called by the ABR Rehabilitation Center in Townsend where the cub was recovering – was eventually transported to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine for a medical examination and was found to be in “extremely good condition.”
The cub, whose ears were “crushed,” had doctors clean them with a “special laser treatment” to encourage “healing” in the cartilage, according to the nonprofit.
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“He had a bunch of ticks, probably because he couldn’t groom himself. The ticks were removed,” ABR shared on Facebook. “The doctors took many samples, including a urine sample. Late yesterday, the UTCVM called to inform us that Juggles has a high white blood cell count in his urine. He has a urinary tract infection. The infection is probably the result of not enough fluid intake. We started antibiotic treatment last night. ”
Despite these obstacles, Juggles is now “resting well”, as he “eats well, takes his medicine and sleeps on his own bed”.
“Thank you for everything you do for our little bears,” the nonprofit added. “You are the difference for all these orphaned and injured bears. Hopefully they will all be released back into the wild later this year.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education