Black Bear #14-0364

Admission Date: 
April 23, 2014
Location of Rescue: 
Cumberland County, Virginia
Cause of Admission / Condition: 
Emaciated
Outcome: 
Euthanized July 21, 2014
Patient Status: 
Patient Archive

A thin, lethargic Black Bear yearling was seen in Cumberland County during the week of April 20 – the bear was hanging around a subdivision for several days. On April 22, the bear was stumbling down a road; a DGIF biologist responded to the scene and was able to capture the bear easily. The yearling was admitted to the Wildlife Center on April 23 as patient #14-0364.

Dr. Rich Sim examined the bear when it arrived and found the male yearling to be thin, dehydrated, and covered in ticks. The bear weighed 9.02 kg. Radiographs revealed no fractures, but did suggest that the bear’s digestive system had slowed, due to starvation. The veterinary team gave fluids to the bear and carefully removed the ticks prior to placing the bear in a zinger crate in the Center’s holding room.

The bear will be fed a highly digestible diet, suited for emaciated bears. Despite the bear’s thin condition, the bear is a sizeable yearling and is feisty. The team plans to move the bear to the Large Mammal Isolation facility later this week, where the bear will share an enclosure with yearling #14-0301.

Your special donation will help the Center to provide care to this bear patient … and to the 2,600 sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals the Center will treat this year. Please help!
 

Updates

July 22, 2014

On the afternoon of July 21, Dr. Meghan Feeney, the Center’s veterinary intern, darted and anesthetized Black Bear yearling #14-0364. The bear was carried down to the Center’s hospital for follow-up radiographs to assess his jaw injury. The bear has been unable to fully close his mouth since the injury, though has been eating small amounts of soft food and has been taking pain medications in food. The bear has been observed via an internal Critter Cam and has been active.

While no fractures were able to be seen on last week’s radiographs, which were taken directly after the bear’s fall, this set of radiographs revealed a fracture of the “TMJ” – the temporomandibular joint. Due to the nature of the fracture at the joint, repair is not possible. The bear was humanely euthanized.
 

July 17, 2014

Black Bear yearling #14-0364, who was injured in a fall from a tree on Tuesday, continues to hold his mouth slightly open. Via internal Critter Cam, the staff were able to watch the bear today – while the bear’s mouth is held open at times, the bear can move its jaws and can hold his mouth partially closed. The bear appears to be moving the jaw open and partially closed.

The veterinary team would like to further observe the bear throughout the weekend, and plan to take additional radiographs of the bear’s head, likely on Monday, July 21.
 

July 16, 2014

On the morning of July 16, Dr. Dave and certified wildlife rehabilitator Amber both checked on yearling #14-0364 in the Large Mammal isolation building.
The bear was standing and moving around, and appeared to have his mouth closed a little more than yesterday. If the bear has a soft tissue injury, the team hopes to see improvement with the bear’s mouth within the next few days. If the bear has a luxation [dislocation] or a hairline fracture, then Dr. Dave anticipates that the team will see swelling at the site of the injury. Further observation is needed to determine the next course of action.

Amber noted that the bear did eat his meal of soft, slurried food items. The veterinary team is providing pain medication in soft food.
 

July 15, 2014

On the morning of July 15, the Center’s veterinary staff and a VDGIF biologist prepared for the release of four yearling black bears - #14-0657, #14-0142, #14-0301, and #14-0364.

The veterinary team headed to the Black Bear Complex to dart the yearlings at about 9:15 a.m. Bears #14-0657 and #14-0301 were darted in trees; #14-0657 climbed down quickly after she was darted.    Bear #14-0301 proved to be more stubborn; the bear began to feel the effects of sedation while still in the tree, so Dr. Dave, Dr. Rich, and the VDGIF biologist stood at the base of the tree holding a sturdy blanket to catch the bear in case he fell. The bear slowly climbed down on his own. The bears were examined, weighed, and loaded into the DGIF transport trap.

Bear #14-0364 was also darted while in the crotch of a tree. Unlike the other two yearlings, this bear did not climb down the tree after he was darted. Anesthesia quickly took effect in this bear; the “catch team” was unable to get to the base of the tree in time. The bear fell approximately 30 feet from the tree.

The team carefully examined the bear once it was fully anesthetized and noted some abnormalities with the bear’s jaw. Bear #14-0364 was brought into the hospital for a thorough exam and radiographs to determine if the bear’s jaw was fractured during the fall. No obvious fractures were noted on radiographs, though it can be difficult to appreciate injuries in the skull region due to the density and overlap of numerous bones.

The veterinary staff was unable to close the bear’s mouth, which could indicate that there is a dislocation in the jaw that was not identified on radiographs. The bear was placed in the Center’s Large Mammal isolation facility. A camera was placed in the enclosure so staff can monitor the bear during the next few days.

Once it became clear that bear #14-0364 would not be released today, The Center’s new veterinary fellow, Dr. Helen Ingraham, successfully darted female bear #14-0142 without incident.

Bears #14-0657, 14-0142, and 14-0301 were healthy and in good body condition. Below are the yearlings’ weights:

Female Yearling #14-0657 – 21.8 kg.
Female Yearling #14-0142 – 19.5 kg.
Male Yearling #14-0301 – 32 kg.

The three bears will be released in the western half of Virginia.


Bear Yearling Release July 2014

July 3, 2014

The four Black Bear yearlings #14-0142, 301, 364, and 657 – have been doing well this spring at the Wildlife Center. The bears can often be seen via Critter Cam lounging in trees. The bears have visibly put on weight, and are in good condition.

Now that food is very plentiful and the berries are out, it’s time to release these four yearling bears. A biologist with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will pick up and release the bears on Tuesday, July 15.
 

May 9, 2014

On May 8, Black Bear yearlings #14-0301 and #14-0364 were darted and anesthetized so they could be moved to the Center’s Black Bear Complex. Dr. Kristin, the Center’s veterinary intern, darted the two bears and gave them a quick physical examination. Both bears were in good body condition and appeared to be doing well. Bear #14-0301 weighed 15.7 kg; bear #14-0364 weighed 14.9 kg.

Both bears were placed in yard #2 of the Black Bear complex, along with female yearling #14-0142.
 

May 2, 2014

Black Bears #14-0301 and 14-0364 have been doing well in the Center’s Large Mammal Isolation enclosure. The two yearlings seem to be getting along just fine, and both are eating well. On April 30, Dr. Rich checked on them to assess their appearance; he felt that both were improving and are in better body condition. During the week of May 5, the two bears will be darted, anesthetized, weighed, and moved to Black Bear Complex yard #2.

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