Yesterday I was surprised by my boss when he asked if I wanted to help process a bear cub. Uhh, duh! Of course I wanted to help.
Doing a health assessment. Photo credit goes to our outreach folks at the Division.
One of our conservation officers had rescued the tiny cub and brought him up to the office to have a health assessment done. The officer said the sow (momma bear) was wrongfully shot by a man who claimed the bear was attacking his dog. In reality his dog had the sow and her cub treed and they were no threat to the dog nor the man.
Luckily, our conservation officers were able to capture the cub and bring him up to us. We conducted a health assessment and discovered he was healthy aside from some mild dehydration. We gave him fluids to hydrate him and some antibiotics. If you are interested in more details check out this video the UDWR posted acrossed a couple social media platforms!
https://m.facebook.com/UtahDWR/?tsid=0.10841687262348243
We then sent the cub to a predator rehabilitation center to put on weight. They will care for him, along with 2 other young bears until this fall when they will be fitted with GPS collars and released. The above link also provides a link to the bear camera that monitors the bears 24/7 if you have an interest in watching the cubs interact and grow.
I am so thrilled this little guy gets a second chance, but it is so disheartening how many people don't know how to properly react when they encounter a black bear. Please don't be trigger happy. In most instances, giving the bear it's space and leaving an area where you see a bear will prevent any injuries to you and the bear. Don't let fear override rational thinking. Most black bears have pretty calm demeanors and are more scared of you than you are of them.
Have any of you seen a black bear out in the mountains? How did you react? If you checked out the link, Any input or thoughts about the video?
As always, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed my post.