Jar placed back on bear's head for appearance on Today Show

Above: The Today Show cast welcomes the Florida "jar bear" to the show following a lighthearted Snuggie segment.

Apalachicola National Forest, FL--In early August, a hiker was blazing the trails of this sprawling wooded landscape set in the northwestern portion of the Sunshine State. Hank Blaylock, 41, hiking sticks in hand, was not at all prepared for what he encountered on this early morning adventure.

"I rounded a bend in the trail and right there before me was a small bear ... with a jar stuck on its head," said the Pensacola high school chemistry teacher. "I mean, I'm terrified of bears but I couldn't help from laughing. I felt bad. I'm mean, it looked ridiculous with that jar on its head. But, I knew it was in serious danger and I contacted park officials as soon as I could."

This story of a Florida bear with a jar stuck on its head became national news several weeks ago as it struck a chord with America's collective heart. The mammal was even given lovable nicknames by news outlets all over the country: JarJarStinks (a bad breath reference, perhaps?), Bear With Jar on Head, Bear With #2 Plastic Jar on Head, NASA Bear, The Recycling Bear, Jarhead, The Radical Dieting Bear and Kareem Abdul JarBear.

The jar prevented the bear from both eating and drinking and it was estimated and feared by experts, had the animal not been freed of its constraining container, that death was surely imminent, possibly within hours.

These same animal experts believed the bear was rummaging through a nearby campground garbage dump when the container, most likely holding an unconscionable amount peanut butter (it was eventually traced to CostCo), became lodged as the animal investigated the sweet smell wafting from the inner walls.

The response from the public, after the bear was caught and the jar removed, was overwhelming. So popular was the story that the morning national news show Today went to great lengths to host the ferocious, wild animal.

"The story seemed to grab America's attention when it hit a couple weeks ago and because of scheduling we weren't able to have the bear on before the jar was removed. So Today paid all of the fees to track the bear, tranquilize it and the brother and mother, place the jar back on its head--only for the five minute segment--and send it to New York. It's a real feel good story," said Today producer Jim Haldeman. "America wanted to know what the bear was up to."

The show's resident weatherman Al Roker got a big kick out of the bear, teasing the animal by rubbing a slab of red meat on the outside of the jar, which appeared to only slightly frustrate the carnivore. The animal, not used to humans and as a safety measure, was heavily sedated before clumsily walking onto the New York set accompanied by a forest ranger.

Several cast members of the show jokingly told Roker to stop before joining in themselves with donuts and a half-eaten Snickers bar, much to the chagrin of the ranger. Matt Lauer and Natalie Morales debated whether the jar looked more like a pretzel container or the officially reported peanut butter jar. Today's online poll revealed 87% of respondents (32,978) felt it was a pretzel container.

"I thought the whole appearance on the show was kind of strange," said 10-year Florida forest ranger Don Hager, the bear's guardian for the trip. "Something just didn't seem right about bringing a wild bear out of its natural habitat. I was, however, very generously compensated, and, to be completely honest, I also thought that the jar was one of those big pretzel containers."