# Tennessee, USA: black-bear survives 3-weeks with his head trapped in a jug



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

:nonod: look how skinny this poor fella is... 
In an undated photo provided by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, a bear with a jar stuck on it's head is seen in Cocke County, Tenn. State wildlife officers looked for the bear for three weeks after reports he was caught in the unfortunate he

Wildlife Officer Never Gave Up Attempt to Save Bear - 
by Richard Simms, 2011-07-20 12:35:25

A black bear that suffered through three weeks of anguish with a plastic container stuck over its head is now safe 
& sound, due to the persistence of a well-trained wildlife officer, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).

TWRA wildlife officer Shelley Hammonds got the first call about the bear 
on June 28th from an employee of Newport Utilities, 
who spotted the bear near the water plant on Cedar Street. [Seeing] pictures, witnesses concluded 
that the bear had gotten a clear plastic food container stuck over its head while foraging through a garbage dump. 
Officer Hammonds responded the next day but could not find the handicapped bear. The bear wasn't seen again 
until the July 4th holiday.

Hammonds responded along with wildlife officers Scott Hollenbeck, David Sexton, & Curt Henderson, who were 
en route to assist with a tranquilizer gun. Before the gun could arrive, the bear left the area, & officers couldn't 
find it.
A similar trend of near-captures continued over the next week-&-a-half, leaving officers with only handfuls of bear 
hair as it repeatedly eluded their grasp. On one occasion, Hammonds even got a shot at the bear but the 
tranquilizer dart missed its mark. She feared the bear was going to suffer a slow and agonizing death.

Several days later new sightings of the bear came in around the lower English Creek area near Cosby. 
Over 50 calls poured in through the Cocke County 911 Center, the TWRA office, and to wildlife officers. 
Once again however, the bear remained just out of the wildlife officers reach.

On July 16th, Hammonds got a call that the bear had moved over to the Carson Springs area. This meant that 
it must have traveled over a very steep part of English Mountain or went completely around it.
Hammonds said, I was utterly amazed that it had crossed the mountain & was still alive. Its will to live 
gave me a lot of encouragement and made me determined to help save it.
The next day Hammonds went up on English Mountain with hopes of crossing paths with the black bear that 
just wouldnt give up the fight to survive. It was at this point that she received reports that the bear had been 
sighted across Interstate-40, near the La Carreta Restaurant in Newport. As Hammonds drove over to the area 
& down Sequoyah Road, the bear crossed in front of her vehicle. She was able to get stopped & make a 
successful shot with a tranquilizer dart.
The bear eventually laid down in the parking lot of the C&C Pawn Shop, where dozens of onlookers watched 
as Hammonds rendered aid. Hammonds is also a Registered Nurse, an EMT IV, and enrolled in Paramedic school.
She was concerned the bear in an ultra-stressed condition might succumb to the tranquilizing drugs. She and 
another nurse on the scene successfully administered intravenous fluids into the bear's left jugular vein.

She described the adult male bear in 'emaciated condition' & estimated its weight at about one-hundred & 
fifteen pounds, when it should have weighed around two-hundred pounds.
Hammonds said, 'On every level he was in a deficit. For three weeks he had not eaten, had been breathing his 
own breath, & the only way he must have been able to drink was by lowering his head under water & filling 
up the jug.
Amazingly, the bear made a full recovery and was released into the Cherokee National Forest, far away from 
any garbage containers.

Hammonds is grateful to the host of citizens that assisted in the removal of the container & kept the bear 
cool and comfortable during the rescue, & to Cocke County Baptist Hospital for providing medical supplies.
District 42 Captain Tim Sain, & wildlife officers James McAfee and Marvin Reeves also assisted in the overall 
effort, while the Newport Police Department provided security at the scene.

TWRA spokesperson Allen Ricks said, 'It is not just garbage and litter that kills bears, but the habits of the landowners. 
Pet-food and garbage must be contained indoors, & birds do not need feeders during the summer months, 
when other foods are available in their natural environments.'

Additionally, the drop in last seasons bear harvest means that there is a surplus of bears that will continue to 
move into areas where they are not normally seen. Tennessee residents must be prepared for increased 
bear-sightings, learn to coexist with them, & not enable them to become habituated to human actions.

*Residents are also encouraged to recycle these types of containers, & to cut them into small pieces to help 
prevent a similar situation in the future.*

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see Wildlife Officer Never Gave Up Attempt to Save Bear | bear, wildlife, hammonds - WTVC NewsChannel 9: Chattanooga News, Weather, Radar, Sports, Lottery - original

_Hurrah for Officer Hammonds! :thumbup: And DoG bless nurses, 
helpful citizens who reported sightings, & the generous hospital staff. :yesnod: _


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