June 2010

This year we received a cub which I thought for the first time ever we would not be able to release. It was distressing for all of us at IBBR that such a needless situation presented itself. It?s the first time in 20 years of bear rehabilitation that I felt the hopelessness of not being able to help an orphaned cub, to make it feel safe and secure so it could go about the business of growing up bear. While it appears this cub?s situation has changed, it brings up the serious question of how often or when it might happen again. Will it turn out differently for the next cub and cost him his life? Orphaned cubs don?t belong in zoos or wildlife parks - they belong to themselves and should be free to be a bear in their own habitat. For that reason I decided to share this information in the ?For the Bears? since successfully raising and releasing orphaned cubs is IBBR?s mission. Perhaps it will help save another cub from going through what this bear endured.

It took me four or five years of constant observing and learning to be able to think like a bear in rehab, to read their behavior, their eyes, to know what they were contemplating, to predict their actions, to solve the problems, and to understand them in all situations. I?m no one special, but I am saying that understanding and raising a wild animal, be a bear or some other species takes time and experience. It?s so easy for someone with good intentions who is not a wildlife rehabilitator to ruin any chance a bear cub has for freedom. It can happen in a matter of days. It doesn?t have to take weeks or months for that to happen. The best of intentions can ruin whatever chance that bear cub has and no one wants that.

For most people their experience is with domestic pets, cats, dogs, etc. It is natural to treat and handle them in the same way you would your pets. While it may be natural, it is the worst thing you can do. A bear cub needs to be handled and treated like a bear cub and you have to know how to do that. How do you interact with a bear cub? He or she is already traumatized by being orphaned, some so traumatized it takes weeks to offset that trauma. What you do or don?t do, how you handle that cub, even the simple action of feeding him can add to that trauma. The key is making the cub feel he is safe and secure even though his mother is not around. You can?t do that without having the experience to think like a bear, to understand them, to anticipate his needs and the way those needs must be addressed.

While cute like a living teddy bear, the cub is not a living teddy bear. I learned that with Ruggles, our first bear. While he or she may appear docile, there is a big difference between being scared to death or intimidated and docile. Are you able to tell the difference? Are you able to get into the mind of that cub and think like a bear?

If you or someone you know finds an orphaned bear cub, please do what is in the best interest of the bear. Call your state wildlife agency or a local wildlife rehabilitator, report the orphaned cub, give them the location, and most importantly follow up with them to find out if they captured the cub and what happened to it. It is not legal to pick up a cub even if orphaned, but sometimes it happens. Don?t hold the cub for even a day - get it immediately to a wildlife officer who can get it to a rehabilitator. Remember, every day that cub remains in the hands of someone inexperienced the cub is one day closer to losing his freedom forever.

Thank you on behalf of orphaned cubs for understanding the importance of making the right decision. Make the right decision ?For the Bear? and not for any other reason.

- Sally Maughan

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