Trapped bear released from SUV in New York town

Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Environmental authorities in New York responded to a town in which a bear was found trapped inside of a vehicle.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said in a Facebook post that a pair of environmental conservation officers were summoned to the town of Hurley when a vehicle owner found a bear had closed itself inside the SUV.

The post said New York State Police shut down Route 28 to allow the environmental conservation officers to work out a plan to free the bruin.

The officers used their vehicles to create a "funnel" so the bear would flee in a safe direction, and they then used a rope to open the back hatch of the SUV to allow the animal to exit.

"The animal appeared unharmed, but the vehicle sustained heavy damage," the post said.