The bear, who had to be cut free by wildlife workers, looked just like Winnie the Pooh who was famous for having a honey jar stuck on his head
A real-life Winnie the Pooh got himself in a right pickle when he got a milk churn stuck on his head – and had to have it removed with an electric saw.
Wildlife workers in Maryland were called to the rescue yesterday after an adult male black bear got its head stuck inside the metal churn, in a scenario reminiscent of AA Milne’s popular children’s character.
Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Karis King said the bear was calm, but the workers tranquillised it for safety reasons in a rural area near Thurmont, Washington, in the USA.
They then used a small saw on the milk can and their hands to pull the jug off.
Patricia Allen, a spokeswoman from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, said: “It was calm and relaxed.”
Tranquilizing the bear made it “much easier and much safer”, she added.
In AA Milne’s story, Pooh gets his head stuck in a honey jar.
Winnie-the-Pooh, which was created in the mid-1920s, follows the adventures of Pooh, his best human friend Christopher Robin and the animals of Hundred Acre Wood including Rabbit, Piglet and Eeyore.
Pooh – a honey-loving animal – often gets his head stuck in the jar in his quest to eat all the “hunny”.
Back in the real world, the 175lb bear later regained consciousness, lifted its head and walked into the nearby woods.