Canadian black bear takes inadvertent 12-hour train ride

In a scene befitting a children's book, an inquisitive young black bear found itself miles away from home after getting stuck on a train headed to Winnipeg. The bear cub, after getting its head lodged in a small hole near the bottom of the train, was carried for 12 hours before being discovered by staff at the CP Rail yards, who were performing a routine inspection and maintenance.

The hole, in which the bear got its head stuck, was reportedly only 10 to 12 centimetres and located near the braking system, according to Manitoba Conversation natural resource officer Blake Patterson, who also indicated that the bear was supported for the entire ride by the frame, brake lines and cables of the train.



The bear was uninjured in the trip and was just merely unable to free itself from the hole. Rail officials think that the bear became an accidental passenger in the town of Foxwarren, a Manitoba town that is located near the Saskatchewan border.

Animal conservation workers, who arrived on scene on Monday morning, dosed the bear with tranquilizers and held the young cub for at least 24 hours before releasing it back into the wild on Tuesday. "We gave her a little extra time, because she was still very tired, from probably the stress of the whole situation," said Patterson.