**Diary Entry 12th June**
I was driving home along the familiar A-road, where its usually quiethardly any traffic, just woodland all around and crisp, fresh air. The day was perfectly ordinary, nothing out of the usual.
Then, something caught my eyea dark shape sitting right by the roadside. As I got closer, I realised it was a bear. A fully grown female, perched on her hind legs, almost as if she were waving a paw at me.
At first, I thought she mightve escaped from a wildlife park or wandered out of the forestbut my heart still skipped a beat. I was about to hit the accelerator and get out of there when I noticed something odd.
I stopped. Slowly, she stood and began walking toward the trees, glancing back now and then, as if checking whether Id follow. Curiosityand some instinct I cant explainkept me from driving off.
A few metres in, where the trees thinned slightly, I saw the reason. A cub was struggling, a plastic jar jammed tightly over its head. It was shaking desperately, but the thing wouldnt budge.
Then it hit methe bear wasnt threatening me. She was asking for help.
Moving carefully so as not to alarm her, I approached the cub and gently worked the jar free. The mother bear rushed over, nuzzling and licking her cub to check it was unharmed before turning back toward the woods.
Just before vanishing into the trees, she paused and looked at mejust for a second. There was something in that gaze, something like gratitude.
I stood there, catching my breath, before hurrying back to the car and driving home. Thats one day I wont forget.
