A black bear wandered Juneau streets, traversed rocks and walked through wooded areas Tuesday morning with its head wedged in a large, clear jar, until Alaska Department of Fish and Game staff arrived and tranquilized the animal, according to the Juneau Police Department and photographs posted on social media.
The bear's misfortune prompted a rash of calls to the local police department Tuesday, starting around 7:50 a.m., said Erann Kalwara, public information officer with the department. Callers first spotted the bear walking along Seventh Avenue, Kalwara said.
"We notified Fish and Game and Fish and Game went out right away, but they were unable to find the bear," she said.
More calls came at 12:14 p.m. The bear was near Sixth Avenue. Then, it moved to Basin Road. Later, it got near the intersection of A Street and 12th Street, the callers reported.
"At 12:41 p.m., we got reports saying citizens were trying to get the jug off the bear's head," Kalwara said. "Then we dispatched JPD officers."
Officers tried to keep the bear contained and keep people away from it, she said. Fish and Game arrived, tranquilized the bear and removed the container, according to Kalwara.
"As far as I know Fish and Game was considering relocating it," Kalwara said. "But I'm not sure what action they took or how that panned out."
Timothy Miles, who works at Fish and Game's Douglas office, said an area biologist, who was on her way to Gustavus for the first day of moose-hunting season, responded to the reports of the black bear trapped in a jar.
"It was a whirlwind deal," he said. "She just kind of took care of it and left."
Stephanie Sell, an area management biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, told the Juneau Empire that the bear was relocated to an area outside of Juneau.
Sell described the container trapped on the bears head as "one of those oversized animal cookie containers," the Juneau Empire reported.