Video shows the heartwarming moment a dog was finally freed after getting trapped 40ft down a narrow crevice for three days – with a huge bear as his ‘cave mate’.
Charlie the dog was reported trapped by his owner after he became stuck down the cave shaft in a Tennessee forest.
Firefighter Tori Downing, who went into the deep cave to rescue Charlie, soon found he was in even more jeopardy than they first imagined – discovering the pooch was just five feet away from a sleeping bear.
‘As I rounded the corner, I could see two little bear feet and a quite large claw grasping onto the wall beside him,’ she said.
‘She stops, looks down, turns around and looks calmly back and says, “bear is still in the cave,”‘ the firefighter’s colleague, Captain Jon Lanier, told WVLT.
The dog was strapped into a harness which had been fashioned by the rescue team and lifted safely out of the cave
Charlie pictured with his owner (left) and rescuers, who included firefighter Christian Ellard (Waldens Creek), firefighter Andrew Wojturski (Sevier County Fire & Rescue), and Captain Jon Lanier (Waldens Creek)
The terrified pooch was filmed emerging from the cave after being trapped for three days
Charlie was trapped even further inside the cave system than the snoozing bear, apparently to keep a safe distance from the dangerous 200lb beast.
The fire crew decided the best course of action would be to set up a camera at the cave in Waldens Creek, in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Firefighters then observed the bear leaving the cave the following day and resumed their rescue efforts.
Rescuers descended into the cave using a rope system and managed to locate Charlie.
The dog was strapped into a harness which had been fashioned by the rescue team and lifted safely out of the cave.
Fire officials said the pooch was then ‘quickly reunited with his happy owner’.
Footage shows the moment Charlie is pulled out of the cave, with an onlooker heard yelling, ‘Come on big guy, come on buddy,’ as he is hauled up.
As he emerges, looking understandably shaken from his experience, applause and cheers of ‘good boy’ erupt.
Fortunately, the two-year-old hunting dog was unharmed during his ordeal.
A Waldens Creek Volunteer Fire Department spokesperson said: ‘All told, Charlie was trapped in the cave for three days.
‘For some of that time, he unwillingly shared it with an approximately two-year-old, 200lb bear.’
They added: ‘He was dehydrated and hungry, but in otherwise good condition.’
Concerned members of the public inquired about the bear’s health, with the fire station reassuring them: ‘The bear is fine.
Rescuers descended into the cave using a rope system and managed to locate Charlie
The rescuers had to squeeze down the tight crevice to locate and then extract Charlie
Charlie scrambling out of the cave, which was also a bear’s den, after getting stuck three days earlier
Fire officials said the pooch was then ‘quickly reunited with his happy owner’. Pictured: Charlie emerging from the cave with his owner
‘We entered the cave on Tuesday and found him in the den happily sleeping and apparently not too concerned about his ‘cave mate.’
‘We contacted TWRA, and on their advice, left the bear alone to come out on his own.
‘Once we verified he was out of the den on Wednesday we were able to get past where the bear had been sleeping and rescue the trapped dog.’
One local said: ‘Awesome job and so happy the bear did not injure the dog.’
Another social media user wrote: ‘Perfect ending.
‘The bravery it took to continue. The rescue of this dog was above and beyond.
‘Thanks to the firefighters who risk it all every day.’
Last year, the same rescue team rescued Charlie’s cousin named Storm after he fell into a deep cave on nearby English Mountain, according to the fire station’s post.
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