Worried Bear Family Waits Nearby As People Help Confused Little Cub

A guy was in his yard when he saw a mama bear staring at him — then he noticed something strange about one of her babies.

A man in Maryland was enjoying the crisp fall weather on his deck when he realized he was being watched. 

"I was working on the deck and turned around and saw mama bear and her two cubs on the lawn looking at me," Paul Morris told The Dodo. "By the time I got my phone out of my pocket to video they were running away." 

Black bear mom and cub in Maryland
Paul Morris

From that vantage point, as the bear family fled toward the woods, Morris' surprising brush with native wildlife took a bit of an odd turn when he noticed something strange on the head of the second little cub, struggling to keep up with his family.  

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Paul Morris

"I noticed the last one had a jar or bucket on its head," Morris said. The thrilling sight turned into a dilemma about what to do about the cub who was obviously in terrible trouble.

"I was concerned," Morris said.

Black bear cub with plastic jar on his head
Paul Morris

Thankfully, Morris knew that there were people who could be trusted to handle such cases; he contacted the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), and people at the agency took on the job of tracking the cub.

Bear cub with plastic jar on head
MDNR

Wildlife professionals didn't know, though, that it would be three whole days until they would be able to find him and his family.

Luckily, it wasn't too late to help the little guy.

Plastic jar removed from bear cub's head in Maryland
MDNR

"A crowd of onlookers at Wisp Resort were giddy to see the cub safely tranquilized and returned to the nearby woods with the sow and one other cub," MDNR wrote on Facebook. "What a great ending."

Black bear cub rescued from plastic jar in Maryland
MDNR

Morris was especially relieved to see that life returned to normal for his wild trio of visitors. "Was great to see!" he said.

You can help protect wildlife by making sure to clean up after yourself when enjoying the outdoors and by making sure your recycling bins are secure.