Orphaned bear cub thriving after rescue, wildlife refuge says

An orphaned carnivore cub is doing good 2 weeks aft she was pulled from a tree by a group of group apparently looking to return pictures pinch her, an animal rescue said Tuesday. 

She was taken successful by nan Appalachian Wildlife Refuge connected April 16 — nan aforesaid time viral video captured nan group pulling 2 carnivore cubs from a character successful Asheville, North Carolina. One of nan cubs was gone by nan clip personification from nan North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission arrived. The other, nan cub who's now pinch nan refuge, was lethargic, limping and had a debased assemblage temperature, it said.

"Following a clip to set to being successful our attraction she was introduced to different orphaned cub that arrived previously. Both cubs are thriving and doing good successful care," Appalachian Wildlife Refuge Executive Director Savannah Trantham said. "They are eating good and interacting pinch enrichment, doing each nan things we dream to spot pinch young cubs."

How nan cub was orphaned 

It's not different for babe animals to beryllium distant from their mothers successful nan outpouring and summer, Trantham said. Many mothers will time off their children successful safe spaces arsenic they look for food. They return erstwhile it's clip to provender their young.  

"Even though we spot them unsocial and deliberation they must person been orphaned aliases abandoned, successful astir cases they are correct wherever they are expected to be," Trantham said.

In nan April 16 video, 2 mini cubs were seen perched connected branches of a character adjacent an Asheville flat complex. A group of 5 group approached and respective of them reached into nan leaves to drawback clasp of nan bears. One personification managed to yank down a carnivore and was past seen connected video holding nan cub arsenic if it were a mini child. 

Rachel Staudt / North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Video besides showed 1 of nan cubs temporarily freeing itself and darting retired from nan area astir nan character wherever nan group had gathered. The cub could beryllium seen moving complete to nan fence, opinionated up connected its backmost legs, concisely changing guidance and trying again to get complete nan obstruction earlier different individual came up down it and seemingly moved to drawback it.

Ashley Hobbs, a typical projects biologist astatine nan North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission who responded to nan scene, antecedently told CBS News successful a connection that she arrived to find nan group of group still around. Only 1 of nan 2 cubs was still location and it was sitting successful a retention pond connected nan flat analyzable property. The cub was past taken to nan Appalachian Wildlife Refuge Center, a rehabilitation installation successful adjacent Candler.

"This lawsuit has understandably brought up feelings of frustration, sadness and anger for galore viewers, and we dream nan enactment of witnessing these shocking visuals prompts group to bespeak connected nan very existent challenges that wildlife look each day," Trantham said. 

Caring for nan cub

Appalachian Wildlife Refuge has rehabilitated dozens of injured aliases orphaned carnivore cubs since 2020, it siad. The cubs are cared for successful earthy habitats that are isolated from nan remainder of nan engaged facility.  

The orphaned cub is seen during her intake exam nan time she arrived astatine nan Appalachian Wildlife Refuge facility. Appalachian Wildlife Refuge

Caring for nan cubs is expensive, Trantham said. It tin costs much than $3,000 to get a azygous cub to a patient weight. 

"If we person a patient orphaned cub astatine a young age, we easy spot a $2,000-3,000 nutrient measure pinch nan specialized formulas, barren foods, caller produce, and full prey items they get successful their varied diets," Trantham said. "In total, we walk astir $20,000-$30,000 per play connected nan cubs we raise from food, and aesculapian expenses, to residence attraction and enrichment."

The Appalachian Wildlife Refuge installation is closed to nan nationalist to limit quality relationship pinch nan animals. There's a mini squad moving pinch nan cubs truthful they tin beryllium kept arsenic chaotic arsenic imaginable while being rehabilitated. The squad astatine nan refuge expects nan cubs will beryllium released arsenic chaotic bears successful nan fall.

"We ever want to spot each chaotic animals near successful nan chaotic and beryllium raised by their mothers, but we activity difficult each time to supply a spot for these chaotic animals to spell for those that genuinely do request our intervention," Trantham said. 

Emily Mae Czachor contributed reporting.

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