A resident of Oliver, B.C., Curtis Pirie, encountered a bear with a stove pipe stuck on its head while trying to fix his bike chain. The bear had been spotted earlier by Pirie’s wife in a social media photo. After failed attempts to remove the pipe, conservation officers tranquilized the bear and safely removed the pipe. The bear had been wandering around for about 10 days before the rescue.
Despite the bear’s thin appearance, it was deemed healthy by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. The bear was relocated back into the woods near Oliver. Authorities advised the public to prevent such incidents by keeping attractants away and promptly reporting animals in distress.