The NC Wildlife Resources Commission is highlighting a recent incident involving young cubs, and reminding people to never approach or handle bear cubs.
The reminder comes after Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department contacted the NCWRC on Tuesday, regarding a group of people at an apartment complex seen pulling two bear cubs from a tree and taking photos of themselves with the cubs. According to NCWRC, the cubs were able to escape after a cub bit one of the people.
Representatives from the NCWRC responded to the location, and found one of the cubs in a retention pond. “The cub appeared to be lethargic and frightened. It looked to be favoring one of its front paws and was wet and shivering,” says NCWRC’s BearWise Coordinator Ashley Hobbs. The cub is now being cared for at a licensed and experienced cub rehabilitation center with the goal of releasing it back into the wild later this year.
The other cub was not located after a search of the area, and officials hope that it was able to reunite with the mother bear since it would not survive on it’s own at a young age.
This incident is still under investigation.
Game Mammals and Surveys Supervisor Colleen Olfenbuttel says “This time of year, mother bears are emerging from their den with their cubs that are experiencing the outside world for the first time and are very dependent on their mother to feed and protect them. People who try to capture or handle a cub are not only risking the cub’s safety, but their own if the mother bear is nearby, as she may try to defend her cubs. Even if you don’t see the mother bear, she could be nearby, and the cubs are waiting for her to return. By trying to capture a bear cub, you may cause it to become orphaned, injured or both, as we saw occur in this incident.”
Wildlife biologists with the NCWRC advise that a bear cub seen alone is rarely orphaned or abandoned. The mother is often nearby foraging for food and will return within a few hours, if not earlier. People remaining in the area or attempting to catch the cub could separate it from its mother and possibly cause injury to the cub.
If a member of the public sees a cub and suspects it has been orphaned, they should take note of the location and contact the NC Wildlife Helpline at 866-318-2401. NCWRC says to not approach the cub, try to handle it or feed it.
Story contributed.
