A bear observed with its head stuck in a plastic container in Bayfield, Douglas and Sawyer counties of northern Wisconsin is now free, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.
The bear was freed over the weekend by U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services staff near Cable.
DNR and USDA Wildlife Services staff first learned of a bear with a plastic jar stuck on its head in north-central Sawyer County on Saturday, July 26. Since the bear was first observed, it moved nearly 50 miles and was reported multiple times across northern Sawyer County and southern Bayfield and Douglas counties.
Staff from USDA Wildlife Services set live traps, but the DNR said trapping efforts were unsuccessful due to the distance the bear was traveling each day.
Several public reports of the bear over the weekend, Aug. 2-3, indicated it was likely returning to the area where it was first witnessed. On Sunday, Aug. 3, a trained wildlife professional responded to a timely report of the bear at a residence and was able to dart the bear with an immobilization drug.
The approximately 70-pound, 2-year-old female bear was freed from the jar, examined and received two plastic ear tags for identification as required by federal law when immobilization drugs are used on free-ranging wildlife.
She was relocated to a wooded area with ample food and water. She was alert when released and quickly began feeding on a patch of berries nearby, according to the news release.
We do not know how long the jug was on the bears head, but it was a little skinny when captured, Randy Johnson, DNR large-carnivore specialist, said in a statement. There were punctures in the jug likely from the bears claws and a public observation indicated that it was able to drink by dunking its head in water.
Johnson said the bear was likely surviving on body fat reserves.
A bear of that age and sex normally averages between 100-150 pounds this time of year, he said.
据威斯康星州自然资源部消息，此前在威斯康星州北部贝菲尔德、道格拉斯和索耶县被发现头部卡在塑料容器中的熊现已脱困。
这只熊于上周末在美国农业部野生动物服务局工作人员协助下，于凯布尔附近被放归自然。
威斯康星州自然资源部（DNR）与美国农业部野生动物管理局工作人员于7月26日周六首次发现，索耶县中北部地区有一只头部卡着塑料罐的熊。自首次目击以来，这只熊已移动近50英里（约80公里），在索耶县北部、贝菲尔德县及道格拉斯县南部多次被民众报告行踪。
美国农业部野生动物服务局的员工设置了活体陷阱，但自然资源部表示，由于这只熊每日活动范围过大，诱捕行动未能成功。
8月2日至3日周末期间，多起公众目击报告显示，这头熊很可能正返回最初被发现的活动区域。8月3日周日，一位训练有素的野生动物专家接到居民区及时上报的熊踪信息后迅速响应，成功用麻醉镖制服了该熊。
这只约70磅（32公斤）重的2岁雌熊被从罐子中解救出来，经过检查后，按照联邦法律规定，为其佩戴了两只塑料耳标用于识别——该规定适用于对自由活动野生动物使用麻醉药剂的情况。
根据新闻稿所述，她被重新安置到一片食物和水源充足的林区。放归时她状态警觉，随即开始采食附近的一丛浆果。
美国自然资源部大型食肉动物专家兰迪·约翰逊在一份声明中表示：“我们不清楚水罐在熊头上戴了多久，但这头熊被捕获时显得相当瘦弱。罐体上有穿孔——可能是熊爪造成的——且有公众观察到，它通过将头部浸入水中来饮水。”
约翰逊表示，这只熊很可能依靠体内储存的脂肪维持生存。
“这个年龄段和性别的熊，每年此时体重通常在100至150磅之间，”他说道。
