connecticut-bear-cub-rescued-head-stuck-plastic-container

Connecticut Bear Cub Rescued After Getting Head Stuck in Plastic Container

On June 23, wildlife officials in Connecticut had to rescue a bear cub that got its head stuck inside a plastic container. A mother bear with three cubs knocked over a trash can in Harwinton, CT; one of the cubs stuck its head inside a big plastic container. It then became trapped, and climbed a tree with the container on its head.

The Fish and Wildlife Division of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection posted about the incident on Facebook, writing, “Given the warm weather and tight fit of the container, it was important to try and free the cub quickly.”

The post continued, “After waiting for the cub to come down from a tree, it was successfully tranquilized, and the clear plastic container was removed. Fortunately, the bear did not sustain any injuries from the container. Once freed, the cub quickly found its mother who was waiting nearby.”

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection also had tips to help people prevent incidents like this from happening. “Everyone can help wildlife from getting stuck in these kinds of situations by properly securing trash and recyclables. Whether it be balloons, fishing line, or plastic containers, wildlife can often ingest or become entangled in improperly disposed or stored items.”

The photo of the cub can be viewed here.

Bear High-Fives Motorist in Viral Video

In other interesting bear news, a post on TikTok recently showed a bear high-fiving a person in a passing car. It happened on a Romanian road, where two adolescent bears and a mother brought traffic to a stand-still. One bear reached out and gave a passing motorist a high-five as they passed. In the video, the bear goes up on two legs and copies the gesture of the person in the car. It delightfully slaps the driver’s hand before bouncing away.

Though the interaction is cute and fun, some viewers on TikTok worried that interacting with the bear cub would incite more dangerous behavior in the future. There’s a concern that the bear will become comfortable around humans, and try and approach people. One commenter wrote, “Teaching a bear to be comfortable approaching humans may make it approach and scare others who may kill it or put it down for ‘aggressive’ behavior.”

Another wrote, “[The driver] put their hand out first. I would of [sic] kept moving. People don’t get it. And I’m sure eventually it will be put down.”

Cub Tries to Get in Backseat of Car in Tennessee

A Tennessee bear cub tried to climb into the backseat of a car recently, startling the residents of the cabin. In a video on TikTok, the bear cub was casually sniffing around the car, then expertly popped the backseat open. The people in the cabin started banging on the window to scare the bear away, but it simply gave a disinterested look over its shoulder. Luckily, no one went outside to try and chase the bear off, and they stayed inside where it’s safe.