It literally took a village, but when it was all said and done, a 1,000-pound polar bear was freed from the fishing net it had become entangled in on a remote Arctic island off the coast of Alaska.
On Saturday, biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey worked with residents in Kaktovik to free the large white bear, which had become entangled in a large fishing net in the Beaufort Sea off Alaska.
The biologists first darted the male bear from a helicopter, after which local residents used boats to keep it from drowning as the tranquilizers took effect.
Once the bear was sedated, the biologists untangled the bear from the net, according to the USGS. After determining the bear appeared to be uninjured from the ordeal, he was released it back into the wild.
"A great effort by all to keep this magnificent animal in the wild," the USGS said on Facebook.