WATCH ABOVE: Cellphone video captures group of volunteers attempting to free black bear from bucket-like object
TORONTO – A black bear roaming the countryside in western Pennsylvania with a bucket-like object stuck on its head for more than a month has finally been freed following a dramatic rescue.
Dubbed “The Bucket Bear,” the unfortunate animal was rescued from its predicament thanks to a group led by Dean Hornberger and his girlfriend Samantha Eigenbrod, according to the Patriot-News.
The couple rounded up volunteers for the rescue mission after reading about the bear’s plight on a Facebook page.
Hornberger and Eigenbrod, who volunteer for animal rescue programs, spent two hours Monday searching for the “Bucket Bear” before coming across the animal near a highway.
Amazing video of the rescue shows Hornberger attempting to pull off the bucket-like object, which turned out to be an airbag from a tractor trailer.
But the bear eludes Hornberger’s grasp before he can work the airbag free, leading the group on a 20-minute chase through a nearby forest ending in “the biggest mud hole in the area,” according Hornberger.
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When the group finally tackled the bear, one person pinned the animal down with his body while another cut the airbag’s metal ring with a hacksaw.
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The video, captured on a cellphone, ends with the bear finally being freed from the bucket and dashing off into the woods.
Only two members of the rescue party received minor scratches from the bear’s claws, the Patriot-News reported.
Krissy Elder, who created the Facebook page “Save The Bucket Bear,” said she was surprised to hear many had contacted the Game Commission more than a month ago to report the animal’s condition, only to be told officials couldn’t do anything unless the bear was injured or an immediate danger to the public.
Other cases of trapped animals
The case of the “Bucket Bear” follows a late July incident in Brandon, Man. involving a cat nicknamed Butterscotch spotted with a small bird feeder stuck to its head.
Witnesses at the time said the cat could see out of one eye and would run away if approached.
The frightened feline managed to survive for nearly two weeks with the bird feeder on its head before being caught and released from the wooden prison.
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