Photo: Screenshot from media reports

A recent video of a brown bear in Northwest China's Qinghai Province with its head stuck in a plastic bucket after trying to steal food from local herders attracted lots of attention, as both the bear and its rescuers quickly ran in opposite directions following a "tug-of-war" rescue.

According to media reports on Monday, local police and residents teamed up to rescue the brown bear by pulling the plastic bucket off its head with a rope. 

The local police chief said the rescue activity at the scene was done in a cautious way to ensure the safety of both people and the embattled bear.

The adult brown bear, which weighed more than 150 kilograms, appeared helpless at the time, crouching on the ground and occasionally trying to move the bucket out of the way with its paws, according to local media reports. Rescuers made several attempts and the process lasted more than 30 minutes.

The rescuers then stood three meters away from the bear and threw a rope over the bucket. Once the rope was securely in place, the police and herders began to pull and engage in a "tug-of-war" with the bear until they successfully removed the bucket.

Many netizens commented that it was clear from the video that both the bear and its rescuers were scared and nervous at the moment of rescue, worried that something unexpected might happen. 

According to an introduction from China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration, brown bears are listed under the second class of wildlife protection in China, which still have a high degree of aggressiveness.

Global Times