During the last week of April, a citizen who was kayaking in Alleghany County saw a lone bear cub on a river bank. The finder took some photos and consulted the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF). Biologists asked the finder if she'd be willing to go out by kayak again days later to look for the lone cub; she did, and was able to capture the cub.
Jaime Sajecki, the VDGIF Black Bear Project Leader, picked up the cub on May 2, though first, the cub was taken by the finder to a local high school for photos. While we're very appreciative of the bear rescue, the Wildlife Center encourages wildlife rescuers to keep injured and orphaned animals in a box or crate in a dark, quiet place -- wild animals can become easily stressed, and additional human contact can be risky for both animal and people.
Upon admission, Dr. Peach examined the small male cub and found that he was thin and dehydrated, but had no injuries. Radiographs and blood work were performed and were within normal limits. Dr. Peach also performed a skin scraping -- a routine procedure for all bear patients, whether or not they have signs of hair loss. The cub had no hair loss, so veterinary technician intern Emily was surprised to identify mites on the skin scraping. The bear will be treated for mites with an anti-parasitic and will be housed separately from the other cubs until treatment is done. The cub weighed 1.78 kg. A green ear tag was placed each of the bear's ears.
The cub will join the other seven bear cubs currently in care -- the rehabilitation staff have their hands full!
At the Wildlife Center, we treat to release! Your donation will help provide long-term care and rehabilitation to this cub until he's ready to go back to the wild.