Wisconsin Lumberjack Shows Serious Guts, Rescues Black Bear With Can Stuck On Head

Not that we’re cowards or anything, but had we run across a black bear that was in a bit of a bind, we’re not sure we would have had the guts to help the big critter out like this Wisconsin lumberjack did.

The bear rescue operation popped up today on YouTube, and it’s basically exactly what we described in the title. There’s a black bear, and the bear has a milk can stuck on its head. Or some sort of can. We can’t say, we didn’t look too closely. We were far too taken with the guts of the guy operating the crane. Besides, video’s a bit shaky, and it’s in portrait of course.

What we see here, though, is a combination of interspecies compassion and god-like skills at operating the crane. The lumberjack manages to remove the can without harming the bear. He must always get the best prize in those arcade crane arm games. We are jealous.

Not so jealous that we wish we’d been in the situation, though; black bears are mad dangerous, and even more dangerous when mad as we’d assume this one was at its Winnie the Pooh-like predicament.

Bears are nothing to laugh at. They are quite clever, often quite aggressive, and – contrary to what you might think – you can not necessarily always distract them with a picnic basket.

If one, say, decides to take a siesta in your hammock, you’ll want to leave it alone. You may want to consider getting a new hammock, or moving. If they come into your house, though, you’re screwed. Such was the case with one Florida woman who found five black bears rooting through her trash. The bears tired of the trash and then decided to come into her house in what has to be the best worst case scenario argument for having a panic room ever.

We’re not sure what exactly happened to this particular black bear after the milk can was removed. The big guy scampered off into the woods, likely cursing himself for having let his honey addiction get him into a bind once more.

In our learned opinion as ursinologists, though, we’re betting that this wound up working out something like the fable with the lion with a thorn in its paw. At some point, that lumberjack will be in need of a favor, and the bear will appear. Unfortunately, it’s a bear, so the lumberjack is likely to run off in terror, along with every other right thinking person around.

[Via Reddit.]