polar bear rescued from a fishing net by biologists in Alaska

This is the polar bear which had to be untangled from a fishing net by a team of people in Alaska.




The rescue involved members of the US Geological Survey (USGS), people in the Alaskan community of Kaktovik where the large male polar bear had become stuck, plus biologists from the US Fish and wildlife service.

The pictures were shared by USGS on Facebook where they have received thousands of likes and been shared thousands of times.

Writing on Facebook, USGS explained how the polar bear was stunned to keep his rescuers safe while they worked to free him.

The biologists first darted the bear from a helicopter and then local residents, using boats, kept the bear from drowning while the tranquilisers took effect. Once 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.