When Winnie the Pooh doesn’t know what to do about the honey jar stuck on his nose, he consults Christopher Robin. When a 2-year-old black bear in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, gets a plastic jug stuck on his head, he gets lassoed and tranquilized then rereleased into the wild only to find his way back to Pooh Corner by 1.
After getting into two-gallons of cheese balls near a bed and breakfast in Glenwood Springs, Jug-Head the Bear spent a week wandering away from authorities. When he turned up at Four Mile Creek Bed and Breakfast, owner Jim Hawkins took it upon himself to rid the “little bear” of its “big problem,” as he so casually told the Glenwood Springs Post Independent.
According to Hawkins, Jug-Head was, “a 2-year-old with a space helmet on.”
Fearing for the bear’s life, Hawkins decided to lasso the 2-year-old around the waist. The two ended up tussling in the grass which left Hawkins with several stitches and his B&B guests a little concerned (but satisfied they got their money’s worth). After separating himself from the bear, Hawkins tied Jug-Head to a tree before wildlife officers arrived. The officers tranquilized the bear and remove his plastic cap with tin shears.
While we can all appreciate Hawkins’ desire to help an animal in need, Carbondale District Wildlife Office John Groves does not recommend interacting with wildlife without professionals present. Today’s lesson is an old staple: Don’t leave food or food containers where they can harm animals; there aren’t too many bear-wranglingB&B owners around.