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Injured bear cub returns to wild – Pocono Record

Posted: September 7, 2017 at 9:41 pm

By Patrick CampbellPocono Record Writer

Several weeks after being hit by a car and left for dead, the orphaned bear cub brought to Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has been returned to the wild.

The black bear cub said goodbye to his temporary home at the center on Thursday morning as Pennsylvania Game Commission officials picked him up to release into game lands in Sullivan County.

When we got him he was unconscious, he was also hyperthermic from being on the side of the road, said Kathy Uhler, director of the center. He has all of his wild faculties and became quite a handful as he recovered.

When the cub first came to the center, he was overheated, concussed and underweight after being abandoned on the side of the road in Marshalls Creek. Thanks to a steady diet of protein and fat rich foods, the bear recovered from his injuries andgrew from a mere 18 pounds to a 62-pound animal in less than two months.

Despite having to be rehabilitated, the cub is heavier than most his age. According to Kevin Wenner, PGC wildlife biologist, most cubs will weigh between 40 and 50 pounds at his age. Uhler said giving him a little extra bulk was no mistake, but a little help to make it through winter.

The hard part for him wont be defending himself, hes one tough, little cub and he can run fast but more the problem is he will be hibernating by himself because he would typically still have his mother, Uhler said.

After PGC officials arrived at the facility, the bear was sedated so it could be safely transported to its new home in Sullivan County. Wenner said the area is used frequently to release bears because of its remote location and plentiful food sources.

Where were moving this bear in Sullivan County is ideal. Fall food availability for this bear is going to be phenomenal, Wenner said.

While bears serve a vital role in maintaining balance in the food chain, bears like this one also provide something else. Since the bear cub is tagged, if it is ever rediscovered PGC officials can learn information of where its been, how much weight it gained and the length of its lifespan.

Theres the potential in future years this bear might be harvested by one of Pennsylvanias hunters. If that happens it gives us a lot of great information, Wenner said. It could get trapped in future years for research, we do a lot of research trapping. If it becomes a nuisance and is captured having tags in, it gives us its history.

While he was not present to say goodbye to the bear, one man played a crucial role in helping this bear get a second chance at life. John Gilroy found what he thought was a dog in mid-July on the side of the road in need of help.

Gilroy not only helped bring the bear to the center, but has also been supportive during its recovery process by donating food and his expertise as a contractor to the center.

Hes been providing food and helping us out, said Uhler, standing by an enclosure Gilroy helped repair. He helped get these panels up that we had to put up quickly cause this bear wanted to figure a way out.

Gilroy last saw the bear on Sunday and said it appeared it was time for the bear cub to go back to the wild. For Gilroy, who had never encountered a bear before, the entire experience was surreal.

Its something special to be able to encounter a part of wildlife like that. In some ways it was a lucky day for me to be able to do that, to have that experience I hope he lives a long life and lasts a long time, hopefully hell die of old age, said Gilroy with a laugh.

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Injured bear cub returns to wild - Pocono Record


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