When I observed a bear stuck in a net and unable to release itself while driving, I pulled over to assist it, but then something unexpected happened 😱😱
I was traveling early in the morning on a roadway that ran next to a pitch-black forest. I initially ignored the brown patch I saw at the side of the road in the distance.
However, I discovered after a time that the bear was ensnared in a net. The animal strained and wheezed, but was unable to escape as the ropes sank into its fur and paws.
Automobiles rushed by; some honked, while others used their phones to record. Nobody halted. I considered calling animal rescues at first, but after realizing how desperate it was, I opted to help it myself.
I put the warning triangle in place, switched on the danger lights, then grabbed a knife and gloves from the trunk.
I moved slowly closer while saying the same thing: Easy. I promise not to harm you.
The bear snarled but refrained from attacking. There was only desolation, not anger, in its amber eyes. Knot by knot, I carefully sliced through the net until the final rope broke and the mesh dropped to the floor.
Anticipating a charge or at least a retreat into the trees, I took a step back. The bear then did something that made my blood freeze 🫣
It approached, met my eyes directly, and then threw a thick metal chain onto the street.
An inscription was carved on the cool metal. I stooped to read it, then stopped.
I was more stunned by those statements than by my own rash bravery in rescuing a rogue animal.
I stooped to read the chain’s inscription. “Viktor Hargrave” was the name. My heart became constricted. He was famous, wealthy, powerful, and a famed hunter whose love of the wild had long verged on insanity.
However, I never imagined that he would go so far as to capture bears in areas that were off-limits to anyone.
Everything became evident: this monster, the net, the taut ropes. It was a component of an illicit hunting business.
As though playing with nature on its own turf, Hargrave had reportedly gone even farther, beyond all bounds, by pursuing a wild animal in a prohibited area.
I took a step back, feeling angry and horrified at the same time. I had just rescued this enormous creature, and now I knew I had seen a crime that would have even more serious repercussions.
There was silence in the jungle. The bear had already vanished into the darkness, free and beautiful. However, the hefty and cold metal chain with the etched name was still in my grasp.
I realized then that what had started out as a simple act of kindness had become a challenge to the man who believed he could control nature.
