U.S. scientists and locals in Alaska teamed up to save a 1,000-pound male polar bear that became entangled in a fishing net on a remote Arctic island on Saturday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), NBC News reported.
The polar bear was found trapped in the netting on an island off the Alaskan coast when biologists from the USGS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service came to the animal's rescue. The bear was first shot with a tranquilizer dart from a helicopter, and local residents from nearby Kaktovik subsequently joined in on the rescue efforts, according to Time.
"Local residents, using boats, kept the bear from drowning while the tranquilizers took effect," the USGS said on Facebook. "Once the bear was sedated, the biologists worked to quickly untangle the bear from the net and, after determining it appeared uninjured from its ordeal, released it back into the wild. A great effort by all to keep this magnificent animal in the wild."
Polar bears are an endangered species, and climate change has had an effect on the their habitats, according to the USGS, prompting the agency to set up a Polar Bear Recovery Team in order to protect them.
How do you rescue a 1,000 pound polar bear trapped in a fishing net? You untangle it. Well, actually, it’s pretty...
Posted by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on Sunday, 6 September 2015
