In Greenville, South Carolina, the bear cub rescued in Asheville on April 16, after residents of a nearby apartment complex pulled the cub from a tree for a photo, has been sent to the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Center for the next eight to ten months before it will be able to be released back into the wild.
According to the agency’s press release, the staff had been contacted by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department regarding a group of people at the apartment complex seen pulling two bear cubs from a tree and taking photos of themselves with the cubs. NCWRC staff arrived and were told both cubs had escaped after a cub bit one of the people. One of the cubs was found later in a retention pond and taken to a licensed cub rehabilitation facility. The other has not been located.
When I arrived, that bear cub had been found on the edge of a retention pond, a little bit inside the water on the edge of the retention pond. So, it seemed to be shivering. It was probably a bit cold, and it did seem to be favoring one of its paws at the time, so luckily, I was able to scoop it up pretty quickly.
Rehab facility
The video showed four people pulling at the tree branch to grab the black bear cubs that had been perched over a fence separating the apartment complex’s property. One woman grabbed one of the cubs and held it under its belly while the woman screamed in delight. The group then started taking photos while the cub cried out in fright; one of the cubs fell to the ground and ran off. He then tried to climb the fence while the woman chased it. It has been reported the cub bit the woman.
A second bear cub was seen in the original video of the group of people taking photos with the bears. That cub has not been located, nor has not been spotted since. This however, is not necessarily a bad thing, the agency stated. More than likely the mother bear who has been seen around the apartment complex quite frequently found her cub and is caring for it.
There have been no charges because the bear cubs were immediately released, and officers have determined there will be no charges filed. The residents were warned to leave wildlife alone.
The public should contact NCWRC if they suspect they’ve encountered an orphaned bear cub. If you believe a cub has been orphaned, do not attempt to capture it. Instead, give the mother plenty of room and time to reconnect with her cub.
To avoid harming yourself or the bear cub:
- Do not handle it.
- Do not attempt to catch it.
- Do not remove it.
- Do not feed it.
- Do take note of your location and call the NC Wildlife Helpline (866-318-2401). If after hours or on weekends, call a district wildlife biologist to report it.
Read previous coverage and view video here.
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