A brown bear that was found wandering through a Spanish town with its head stuck in a plastic drum has been rescued.
The bear was first spotted on the morning of Sept. 13 by residents of Anllares del Sil in León. Its entire head was inside the empty corn dispenser, rendering the bruin unable to see or feed.
A rescue effort coordinated by government biologists involved sedating the bear so the life-threatening device could be removed. The successful operation lasted barely more than an hour.
According to a news release issued by the Junta de Castilla y León, the bear was determined to be healthy. It’s now fitted with a GPS collar so biologists can track its movements.
The accompanying images are courtesy of the Teddy Bear Foundation.