ASHEVILLE — A bear cub wandering around an Asheville neighborhood with a jug stuck on its head is running free in the forest again thanks to wildlife biologists and some observant residents.
Wildlife biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission spent two days searching for the bear cub, according to a news release. The commission said the bear likely got stuck while going through some trash and was wandering around an Asheville neighborhood.
District Biologist Justin McVey got the initial report about the bear on Monday night. Commission officials reached out to the public to help identify its location.
McVey said a combination of responses to a message posted to NextDoor by the commission and direct calls to biologists, local residents led personnel directly to the bear cub.
The bear was anesthetized before the jug was taken off its head. Biologists performed a health check before relocating it to a remote area in western North Carolina.