This 'foster mom' bear is raising a cub saved by a dog
An orphaned black bear cub has been placed with a substitute bear mom this week after the little baby bear was saved by a family dog, and tenderly brought to safety.
The amazing images of the rescued black bear cub in this post are from the Wildlife Center of Virginia, you can donate to them here.
Meet Black Bear cub #20-0084.
From the Wildlife Center of Virginia:
On February 6, an infant male Black Bear cub was admitted to the Wildlife Center. The cub was found the evening before in Washington County when a family dog brought home the tiny cub. The homeowners were unsure where the cub came from, so they called the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF). A biologist transported the cub to the Center.
Dr. Claire, the Center's veterinary intern, examined the cub when he arrived and found that the cub was bright and alert, and vocalizing readily. The cub weighed just 540 g - smaller than cub #20-0064 at admission - and was mildly dehydrated, though otherwise was healthy.
The cub was settled into an incubator, and the rehabilitation staff added him to their 'round-the-clock bottle feeding schedule
The wildlife rehab staff described Black Bear cub #20-0084 as bright, alert and "vocalizing readily." They say the cub was placed with a new bear mother who was already nursing three cubs of her own on Wednesday.
From Southwest Virginia Today:
Staff members soon plan to introduce the cub to another cub at the center. The second cub was found in Craig County.
"DGIF reported that they located two active den sites, both with sows and cubs. The dens are difficult to access; the biologists will continue to assess the situation and will plan to attempt fostering during the week of February 10. It's likely that the two cubs will be fostered separately, due to the size and age difference; the biologist will also need to assess the number and age of cubs present at the den sites and will make final decisions in the field," the center's website said.
Bassinger said the dog that found the cub carried it gently home and did not hurt the cub.
"There were no signs of injury to the cub whatsoever," Bassinger said.
