WEARS VALLEY, Tenn. — Firefighters near the Wears Valley community had to deal with a "four-pawed troublemaker" that got trapped in a vehicle overnight.
The Waldens Creek Volunteer Fire Department said it "swooped in with the grace of Gandalf" to rescue a bear that found itself trapped inside a vehicle.
How'd they do it? By lassoing the door open, of course!
"Chief Tim Baker, the maestro of rope tricks, decided it was showtime. Armed with a trusty rope, he channeled his inner cowboy (or should we say, bear-whisperer?) and lassoed that door handle like a Wild West pro," the VFD said. "Yeehaw!"
The VFD said the bewildered bear safely made its way out of the vehicle and got a "send-off fit for a superstar" in the form of yells, cheers and maybe a "bye-bye bear!"
The bear was ok, but the car... well, it had seen better days.
"Fear not, dear citizens, everyone emerged from this wild encounter unscathed. The bear might have had his fill of excitement for the night, but the car? Let's just say it might need a new air freshener and a few therapy sessions," the VFD said.
The VFD reminded people that we do, indeed, live in bear country and that it's a good idea to keep windows rolled up and doors locked just in case one decides it wants to swipe something tasty that it smells.