Silly Pooh: Bear saved from jar stuck on his head

July 21, 2011, 9:21 PM UTC / Source: The Associated Press

A black bear is back in the woods in Tennessee after getting help with a problem — a plastic jar stuck on his head.

In a July 17, 2011 photo provided by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, wildlife officer Shelley Hammonds of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency tends to a black bear in Newport Tenn. State wildlife officers looked for the bear for three weeks after reports he was caught in the unfortunate headgear. Hammonds tranquilized the bear, and the bear collapsed in downtown Newport, where dozens of people watched the jar removal. The bear weighed just 115 pounds, when it should have weighed around 200. It was released into the Cherokee National Forest. (AP Photo/Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

State wildlife officers looked for the bear for three weeks after reports he was caught in the jug. The Knoxville News Sentinel said the male bear was roaming around Newport, in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

On July 17, wildlife officer Shelly Hammonds was checking another report of the bear when the animal ran in front of her vehicle. Hammonds fired a tranquillizer dart and the bear collapsed in downtown Newport, where dozens of people watched the jar removal.

The bear weighed just 115 pounds, about half what it should weigh. It was released into the Cherokee National Forest.

Wildlife officials believe the bear got into the jar while foraging through garbage.