They try to rescue a dog trapped in a cave, but find themselves face to face with a bear

Firefighters trying to rescue a dog that fell into a cave in a Tennessee forest were given the surprise of their lives when they discovered a bear sleeping in the same crevice.

The dog, named Charlie, remained trapped in the cave 12 meters underground for three days before the Walden Creeks County Fire Department, about 100 kilometers south of Nashville, intervened.

Firefighters arrived at the site Tuesday with a pulley system that allowed them to descend into the cave, CNN reported.

The Fire Safety Service points out in a Facebook post that their intervention “took a turn when a firefighter turned around and found a bear sleeping one meter below her.”

The team was able to leave the cave without the animal waking up.

Firefighters returned to the scene on Wednesday and were finally able to rescue the dog, after the bear had escaped in the meantime.

Photo taken from Facebook – Waldens Creek Volunteer Fire Department

“Charlie was trapped in the cave for three days, spending part of that time with an approximately 2-year-old, 200-pound bear,” the Facebook post added. He was dehydrated and hungry, but he was doing well.

Photo taken from Facebook – Waldens Creek Volunteer Fire Department

The dog was then able to find its owner safely.