For nearly two weeks, a young female bear in distress roamed the wild with a large plastic jar stuck tightly over her head. The 2-year-old, weighing just 70 pounds, wandered through forests and fields—unable to eat, struggling to drink, and surviving only by sheer determination.

Wildlife officials had been tracking her through public reports, setting live traps and scanning vast areas, but she always managed to stay one step ahead. Day after day, the bear pushed on, covering dozens of miles in a desperate search for relief.

At last, after 12 long days, a breakthrough came. A family staying at their cabin spotted the exhausted animal emerging from the woods. They kept their distance but quickly alerted authorities, while one family member calmly followed her—keeping her in sight until help arrived.

A wildlife professional soon joined them and used a tranquilizer dart to safely sedate the bear. Once she was asleep, rescuers carefully cut away the jar. To their great relief, she showed no injuries to her head or neck—only signs of weight loss and dehydration.

“It’s incredible that she survived nearly two weeks without proper food and barely any water,” one rescuer said. “Being there when it was finally over was unforgettable.”

The bear was relocated to a quiet forest filled with natural food sources. When she woke, she immediately began eating berries, finally free from the plastic trap that had nearly cost her life.