Brown bear found stumbling around for days with plastic barrel stuck on head

17 September 2023 , 01:29

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The brown bear seen with the barrel on its head before it was removed (Image: Jam Press/FOP)

A brown bear has been saved after he was found stumbling around for days with a large plastic barrel stuck on his head.

The hungry male was found tripping over rocks as it doddered from side-to-side. Local Borja Martínez came across the stricken bear while taking a morning stroll on September 13.

He immediately notified the Brown Bear Foundation (FOP). The bear was found near Anllares del Sil, north west of Madrid, Spain.

Borja told local media: “The animal was disoriented, going around in circles and not approaching the forest. Because I think that not being able to see, it would hit the trees and get scared.”

FOP president Guillermo Palomero García said: “We went there and called the bear patrol of the governing body of Castile and León.

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The animal after being tranquillised (Jam Press/FOP)

And we confirmed that the bear had got stuck in the barrel, which it had probably approached to eat.”

Mr Palomero says the bear - which, at 98.5kgs, was underweight - may have been trapped inside the container and, therefore, deprived of food and water for several days. Following Borja’s call, vets arrived on the scene and shot the bear with a tranquilliser gun, putting it to sleep in 12 minutes.

The hungry male was found tripping over rocks as it doddered from side-to-side (Jam Press/FOP)

They then removed the barrel from its head and fitted it with a GPS tracking collar before waking it up with another injection. Mr Palomero said: “It was perfectly fine.”

It is not clear where the bear had found the barrel, which had contained corn. There are approximately 370 brown bears in and around Spain’s Cantabrian Mountains. This comes after The Mirror shared advice on what to do if you come across a bear in the wild.

They removed the barrel from its head and fitted it with a GPS tracking collar before waking it up with another injection (Jam Press/FOP)

All the advice on bear encounters states that you are highly unlikely to come to any harm. In its 145-year history and 120 million visitors Yellowstone National Parks has only seen eight deaths due to bear attacks.

To even come across a bear is rare, but it does happen and according to the National Park Service, all bear encounters are different and the wild beasts should be treated with the respect they deserve. No techniques can guarantee your safety but there are some that may well keep you protected while out and about in bear country.

The key ideas include: avoiding any encounters to start with; remaining level headed and calm and planning ahead to ensure that your are fully prepared for any outcome.

Douglas Patient