“We Thought We Wouldn’t Make It in Time”: The Rescue Story of a Bear Who Walked 80 Kilometers With a Jar on His Head
This story began in mid-July. It was hot, the air shimmered above the pine trees, and deep in the wilderness between the villages of Lesnoy and Severny, local hunters noticed strange tracks — deep paw prints, as if the animal was walking unsteadily, staggering from side to side. A few kilometers later, they found scratches on the sand and traces of blood. No one knew then that this would be the beginning of one of the most difficult rescue operations in recent years.
A few days later, a video appeared in a local online group. The footage from a surveillance camera near a riverside dacha showed a bear walking along the road. On its head — a shiny object resembling a tin can or a bucket. The bear stumbled, bumped into fences, and at one point simply fell. People who saw the video didn’t believe it at first: “Fake,” “staged,” they wrote in the comments. But the hunters confirmed — the tracks were real.
When volunteers from a local wildlife rescue center arrived, most of the tracks had already been washed away by rain. Only paw prints in the muddy ground and a few tufts of brown fur remained. They decided to use a drone with a thermal camera. On the third day, they finally spotted him: a huge dark shape moving along the riverbank, side to side, like a blind creature.
“He couldn’t see a thing,” recalls volunteer Andrey. “The jar was metal, with sharp edges. We realized it had become embedded in his fur and skin. If we hadn’t found him that day, he would’ve suffocated.”
It took almost eight hours to approach the animal. Exhausted, the bear staggered, fell into bushes, but didn’t attack. When they finally managed to sedate him and remove the jar, everyone fell silent. Inside were traces of blood and fur; the bear’s face was wounded, his eyes swollen. He had walked roughly 80 kilometers — blind — guided only by the smell of water and his survival instinct.
When the jar was finally removed, the bear took a deep breath — as if feeling air for the first time in a long while. Then, as the sedative wore off, he simply stood up, looked at the people, and walked away. Slowly but firmly, back toward the forest. No one tried to stop him.
A few days later, volunteers returned to the site. The paw prints and rope marks were still visible. On a nearby tree now hangs a sign: **“He Survived.”**
And in the rescue center’s office, on the windowsill, stands that very same jar — rusty, dented, with claw marks and scratches. Beneath it lies a small note:
**“To remember that strength isn’t only in teeth and claws. Sometimes, strength is in patience and hope.”**
The story spread across social media, but for those who were there, it was more than a viral post.
It was a reminder of how far a living being can go to survive —
and that sometimes, even the darkest stories end with a breath — pure, free, and alive.
