Watch: Hero Rescuers Race To Save Lost Dog Trapped in a Tennessee Cave With a Bear
The Smoky Mountains of Tennessee are interwoven with thousands of caves- some large and famous, like Ruby Falls or Cumberland Caverns, some so small and forgotten that they don't even have names. It was in one of those small, nameless caves that our protagonist "Charlie" got trapped earlier this October. But Charlie isn't the average lost caver- Charlie is a grey hunting dog.
After reports came in warning officials of a trapped dog in a cave in Sevier County, Tennessee, rescue teams mobilized fast. But as reported by Inside Edition on October 17, the rescuers encountered a few unexpected snags- including the fact that Charlie was sharing the cave with an enormous bear.
Cave rescues are always difficult, intricate, and dangerous operations at best. As depicted in the video from Inside Edition, Waldens Creek firefighters had to carefully work their way down the narrow 40-foot English Mountain cave shaft to reach the unfortunate pup. But the biggest obstacle of all was waiting for them at the bottom. The rescue team discovered that Charlie was sharing the cave with a sleeping 200-pound black bear!
While the rescuers were willing to undergo significant risks to rescue Charlie, a potential battle with an angry black bear wasn't one of them. The firefighters quickly retreated back up the cave shaft and rethought their strategy. They decided to set up trail cameras to monitor the mouth of the cave, hoping the bear would emerge before it was too late. The next day, the bear exited, and the rescue crew got their second chance.
Mobilizing fast, they made their way back to the cave shaft and swiftly climbed down to rescue Charlie. Pulling the weary dog out of his deep underground prison wasn't easy, but with a bit of effort, they safely emerged together back into the sunlight, whistling and cheering him on!
Despite spending three days underground with a black bear, Charlie's only health concerns were hunger and mild dehydration, concerns that were quickly remedied. Otherwise, the resilient pup was in good condition! According to The Independent, Charlie was soon reunited with his owner, who was immensely relieved to have him home after that long, harrowing ordeal.
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