A U.S. Department of Agriculture official was able to free a northern Wisconsin bear’s head from a large plastic jar, but only after a week of tracking, failed trapping attempts and a fast response to a report when it appeared at a resident’s home. The 2-year-old female bear weighed about 70 pounds when she was finally tranquilized, about 30% to 50% lower than her weight should have been for her age.
It sounds like a mishap straight out of “Winnie the Pooh,” but this time, this bear’s life was in danger.
For at least a week, a bear had been spotted in multiple northern Wisconsin counties with its head trapped not in a honey pot, but in a plastic jar, much like one typically filled with crunchy cheeseballs.
In a statement Monday, the state Department of Natural Resources said it first learned of the bear on July 26. The 2-year-old female traveled through Bayfield, Douglas and Sawyer counties. By the following weekend, the bear had traveled more than 50 miles and evaded multiple traps set for it, all while its head was trapped in the jug.
Multiple claw puncture holes lined the walls of the jar, likely the result of the bear trying to free itself. One observer reported seeing the bear dunk its head, jar and all, into water and letting it seep through the claw holes into the jar to get a drink, Randy Johnson, DNR large carnivore specialist, said in a statement.
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On Sunday, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials were able to track down the bear after it was reported to be at a person’s home. They shot it with a tranquilizer, and once the bear was sedated officials cut the jar off and relocated the bear to a wooded area.
The bear didn’t have any injuries or neck lacerations but was clearly hungry. At 70 pounds, far less than the 100-150 pounds she should be, the alert animal immediately started to snack on wild berries in the woods.
“We do not know how long the jug was on the bear’s head, but it was a little skinny when captured,” Johnson said in a statement. “The bear was likely surviving on body fat reserves (which can be significant on bears by midsummer).”
While the bear lost its plastic jug, it did get two new ear tags out of the whole ordeal, as required by federal law when wild animals get a tranquilizer shot.
The 2-year-old female bear, who was seen in multiple northern Wisconsin counties in late July and early August, had punctured holes in the jar with her claws, allowing her to be able to drink water.
