Bear Rescue

Photo credit: Emma Henry (?)

The Telegraph (UK) reported today about a bear who got himself into a jam.

A 250-pound bear stranded under a busy bridge near Lake Tahoe in California was saved by an army of rescuers, a tranquiliser dart and a nylon net bought at an Army surplus store.

The bear was walking across the 80ft high bridge on Highway 40 near Donner Summit in the Sierra Nevada when the closeness of two oncoming cars spooked it, causing it to jump over the railing.

At one point it was dangling over the edge, but it managed to grab on to a ledge and pull itself onto a concrete girder beneath the bridge.

And that's where the unfortunate bear stayed overnight. In the morning, rescuers strung the net beneath the bridge span, shot the bear with a tranquilizer dart, then pushed it into the net, which was lowered to the ravine below. He headed into the wilderness after he woke up.

The article has lots of pictures, including the happy ending.