Park ranger Sarah Lindgren observed something the other day while driving somewhat outside of the Pennsylvanian village of Cross Fork, and she immediately applied the brakes.
There it was, an obviously distressed animal, right off the woodland road.
Lindgren said to The Dodo, “I saw what looked like a bear with something on its head lying motionless on the berm of the road.”
Lindgren’s suspicions were validated as he approached the animal: it was a bear cub with his head securely wedged inside an empty plastic jar. Then life began to manifest itself.
“The cub picked up his head as I approached it,” Lindgren remarked. “So I decided to approach [him] really stealthily.”
It appeared as though the bear was asking a passing car for assistance, given his obvious location on the roadside. And that’s precisely what the bear got.
Lindgren managed to remove the cub’s head from the jar by giving it a strong tug.
Following that, Lindgren claimed, “[He] was very confused and gave me a suspicious look.” “I began to urge [him] to move on in order to avoid being struck by a car.”
Lindgren reported the incident to the Pennsylvania Game Commission after the bear had retreated a safe distance away.
Lindgren never did get to see the mother bear during the entire ordeal. However, Lindgren stated that the cub is regarded by authorities as mature enough to live on its own at an estimated 8 months of age. Indeed, he might have been doing so already.
Lindgren continued, “I think the mother could have taken out the container on her own if she had been involved.” “It seems likely that he was accustomed to being by himself.”
Luckily, a few days after the rescue, Lindgren saw the bear again and noticed that he seemed to be regaining his vigor.
“I have hope [that he will live]!” stated Lindgren. “I’m glad I could help, and I did what I was legally able to do.”
