LEON – Government employees in Castilla y León rescued a bear last Wednesday near a waste dump in the Alto Sil area. The animal had its head stuck in a plastic barrel that previously contained corn.
The images of the bear with its head in the barrel speak volumes. The animal moves in panic, in circles and stumbling between the stones near the town of Anllares del Sil in the province of León. It turns out to be a male bear weighing 98.5 kilos. This was said by David Cubero, head of the Natural Areas, Fauna and Flora Service of Castilla y León. Because the rescue team arrived on site quickly after a local resident’s report, it was possible to reach and rescue the bear on time, as it could no longer see, eat or drink.
The bear was stunned for a short time so rescuers could free its head. To help locate him in the future, he was fitted with a GPS bracelet before he was released.
“We are always prepared and also have tracking dogs with us for situations like this,” Cubero said. Fortunately, the dogs were not needed this time; the rescue team reached the bear within 45 minutes.
Increasing bear population
Due to the growing bear population in the Cantabrian mountain range, such incidents are no longer a rarity. “We are always alert. In this case it was a bear that was not known in this area. We had not received any reports of it looking for fruit in gardens,” Cubero added.
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