A family from Wisconsin saw a weird-looking animal in the lake – turns out, it’s a bear with its head stuck inside a plastic container.
The black bear, who they estimated to be a year old, was desperately swimming to shore while it struggled to remove the plastic tub. The family followed the bear with their boat knowing that this animal’s life is in danger.
This event is only one of the most glaring examples of how our behavior directly impacts the environment and the animals living in the wild.
We’ve all seen videos of seals getting choked with nets or six-pack plastic wraps or turtles that mistake plastic bags for jellyfishes.
This encounter adds to the growing number of cases that show how our improper disposal and use of non-biodegradable waste pose a great threat to Mother Nature.
In a video that has racked up over 20 million views in just a year, Tricia and Brian Hurt, together with their son Brady, were fishing on Marsh Miller Lake in western Wisconsin’s Chippewa County.
At first, they thought it was a dog swimming in the middle of a lake. But when they looked closer, they realized that it was a young bear with a cheese ball container stuck on its head.
You can hear Tricia adamantly ask for them to get closer so they can help the poor animal. Brian even noted that the bear seems confused about what direction it was swimming towards.
Disoriented, probably tired, and scared for its life, the bear swam faster and away from them when it felt the boat coming closer.
They sailed faster to swing in front of the bear where Brian took the opportunity to yank the jug off its head.
The first attempt failed, and it revealed another layer of danger.
Water was slowly filling the plastic container. And if they don’t pull it out, the bear will drown.
Brian shared that he could hear the bear desperately huffing and gasping for air. They knew they had to do whatever they can to help.
Brian shared with the Associated Press:
“That was the thing I remember most, is that bear panting heavily, trying to get air. Can you imagine having that down in the water, it sealed it off so it couldn’t get fresh air into that jug?”
As they passed by the bear once more, Brian noticed that one of the bear’s ears is loose. There’s a chance to pull the container off its head if they try again.
On their next pass, Brain yanked the container with all his might even if the bear flailed and struggled.
Then, the bear drops into the water once more, but this time, he can breathe the fresh air again.
Finally, the family sighs in relief. Tricia celebrates in the video by saying:
“We saved our little bear!”
After the ordeal, the Hurts sailed towards a nearby resort.
Some people have watched the rescue and told them that they saw the bear pass the area.
The plastic container was stuck on its head for a few days already.
Locals had been trying to figure out how the local wildlife officials to help but it’s a good thing that the Hurts went fishing that day.
It was a good ending to a dangerous encounter.
They may have saved this bear’s life, but we can save more of them if we become more conscious about the things we buy, use, and consume.
Watch how the Hurts and the bear endured a tension-filled rescue by clicking on the video below.
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