Abandoned Oregon bear cub headed to Pennsylvania
Update June 19, 2015: The yearling black bear picked up Memorial Day weekend above Green Peter Reservoir was taken to ZooAmerica in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on an evening flight last night, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
The bear gained weight and some of its hair grew back while under the care of veterinarians at ODFW's Wildlife Health Lab near Corvallis.
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Original story:
A malnourished bear cub that was picked up by Oregon State Police last weekend is likely headed to a zoo, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said Wednesday.
The bear was picked up after campers at Yellowbottom Recreation Site, near Green Peter Reservoir, reported the animal begging for food and showing no fear of humans.
ODFW veterinarian Colin Gillin believes the bear may have been taken from the wild as a cub early last summer and then released before winter, after it had become accustomed to humans.
"Someone may have picked it up thinking it was orphaned, kept it for a while, and then returned it to the forest," Gillin said.
The bear is very thin and weighs 25 pounds, with hair loss on its back and rear that also indicate malnourishment.
Due to its habituated behavior, officials said, it cannot be released back to the wild. But if the bear's physical exam tests show that it is healthy, Gillin will seek out an accredited zoo to take it.
"We receive bear cubs every spring and summer," he laments. "Those that have spent the winter without a mother are in fairly tough shape and very malnourished by spring."
The department said the situation demonstrates why wild animals should never be taken from the wild.
Similar problems occur with deer fawns, elk calves and other young wildlife picked up by people at this time of year.
ODFW said it got calls from across Oregon from people concerned about "orphaned" fawns and calves they find huddled up in the forest.
"The mother deer or elk is usually not far away and will return for her young if they are left undisturbed and people are not around," says ODFW Baker District Biologist Brian Ratliff, who recently counseled a man to leave an elk calf he found on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest alone. "Never assume an animal is orphaned. If you saw the parent killed or the animal is injured, call ODFW, Oregon State Police or a wildlife rehabilitator."
While people who pick up young wildlife might be well-intentioned, their actions can lead to the animal's early death. Young animals taken from the wild miss the chance to learn important survival skills from the parent animal like where to feed, what to eat, how to behave as part of a group and how to escape from predators.
