A fishing trip turned into a wildlife rescue mission for a family in Bloomer, Wisconsin, on Saturday evening.
Just before sunset, Brian Hurt, his wife Tricia, and their son Brady were coming back to the landing on Marshmiller Lake when they spotted something in the water, according to KARE.
“We thought it was a black lab in the water and had a jug on its head. Then as we got closer my wife is like, ‘No, that looks like a bear,'” Brian recalled.
For several days, the family had heard about sightings of a bear with a jar on its head and realized it was their chance to rescue the creature from its predicament.
Tricia captured video footage of the moment when the Hurt family pulled their boat alongside the creature as it swam across the lake:
CHECK THIS OUT: Brian, Tricia and Brady Hurt were fishing in Northern Wisconsin when they spotted this bear with a plastic container over his head. After a few attempts they were able to remove the container and the bear made it back to shore!
Video courtesy of Hurt Family. pic.twitter.com/fLKVWdo2AC
— NBC15 News (@nbc15_madison) June 28, 2020
“We got a bear here. Poor thing’s got a tub on its head. Oh, he’s getting scared,” Tricia said from behind the camera.
“We’re trying to figure out how we’re going to get this tub off his head,” she continued.
As Brady moved the boat closer, Brian reached down into the water and tried to grab the jar.
However, it slipped from his grasp.
“I had the damn thing, I just couldn’t get it off,” he told his wife.
When they circled around once more, Brian was able to grab what he later described as a cheesy puff container and pull it off the bear’s head.
“We saved our little bear!” Tricia exclaimed as the animal swam away, adding, “Swim happy!”
Thanks to their efforts, the animal was able to breathe easier and the Hurt family later reported it made it safely back to shore.
“Once I got it off you could really tell the difference, because, it was like, it could get proper air at that point, and it seemed like it revived quite a bit,” Brian concluded.
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