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Black bear cubs are cute, but wildlife experts tell you to keep your distance: NPR

A black bear cub is photographed at Triple D Game Farm in Kalispell, Montana, in 2005.

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A black bear cub is photographed at Triple D Game Farm in Kalispell, Montana, in 2005.

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Wildlife experts are warning people to stay away from black bears after a video released earlier this week showed residents in western North Carolina trying to catch two cubs from a tree.

The incident took place outside an apartment complex in Buncombe County and was caught on camera Tuesday.

In the video, released by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, several people attempt to pull two black bears from a low-hanging branch. A person manages to catch a bear cub and appears to pose with the wild animal for a photo. After screaming, the person drops the bear cub and the animal is seen running along a fence while the person chases it.

Rachel Staudt, a resident of the apartment complex where the event took place, told the Asheville Citizen-Times that she decided to start recording the episode after asking the other residents to stop shooting the bear cubs in the tree.

Ashley Hobbs, an NCWRC biologist and coordinator of BearWise, a national educational program aimed at helping people safely coexist with black bears, told NPR that the cub seen running along the fence in the video had been found wet and shivering in a retention pond. close to the apartment complex. The NCWRC press release states that the other bear shown in the video has not been located.

The found cub was taken to an NCWRC rehabilitation center, and Hobbs told NPR that the bear is “now doing very well.” She said he was eating and drinking well and after NCWRC staff were able to do a full assessment of the cub, they found no lasting injuries from the encounter.

That said, Hobbs warns that the incident is not without consequences. “We want wild bears to stay wild,” she said.

The rescued calf will be raised in captivity before being released into the wild in the fall.

Breeding wild animals in captivity can cause stress to animals and sometimes rehabilitation facilities are unable to mimic the conditions and care that animals are accustomed to in their natural environment, Hobbs said. For their safety and preservation, Hobbs says breeding the young in captivity is avoided whenever possible.

Black bear cubs typically stay with their mothers for about 18 months, according to the National Park Service. The cubs seen in Newcombe County were only a few months old, Hobbs said.

“They still depend on their mother for their milk” at this age, she added.

Since the cub was removed from the tree and could not be reunited with its mother, it will need to be raised in the NCWRC Rehabilitation Center before it can be released into the Western Carolina Mountains of the North when completely weaned in the fall, Hobbs. said.

What to do if you encounter a black bear cub


An American black bear Baribal and her newborn baby walk in their enclosure at the Planète Sauvage zoological park in Port-Saint-Pere, near Nantes, western France, May 3, 2019.

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An American black bear Baribal and her newborn baby walk in their enclosure at the Planète Sauvage zoological park in Port-Saint-Pere, near Nantes, western France, May 3, 2019.

Loïc Venance/AFP via Getty Images

It is common for female black bears to leave their cubs in safe areas while they search for food. “She’ll go forage for a few hours and she’ll come back for it,” Hobbs said.

She also said it’s normal to see more black bears in the spring, when they are more active, than in the winter, when they hibernate in North Carolina.

For this reason, Hobbs cautions that if you see a bear cub alone in a brush pile or even on your back porch, it doesn’t mean it’s actually in danger or needs help. “Most of the time, that’s not the case. So if you see a cub alone, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. And that’s why it’s good to give him plenty of space .”

If you see a bear cub, Hobbs admits it can be tempting to approach it because it’s one of the “cutest little animals you can find.” But she warns: “You should never approach or try to handle a black bear cub.”

This is dangerous for the little one because you could accidentally hurt it while handling it or put it in danger of becoming orphaned or separated from its mother.

Hobbs said interacting with the cubs can also put people in danger. According to BearWise, black bears rarely become aggressive. But, Hobbs said, they will harm a person if they feel the need to defend their food or offspring.

If you encounter a black bear cub, give it plenty of space, “back up and go in the opposite direction.”

If you’re tempted to take a photo, only do so from a distance. “These days we have zoom on our cameras. Definitely use zoom if you want to take a picture,” Hobbs said.

Commission spokeswoman Anna Gurney told The Associated Press in an email Friday that no charges would be filed against the people who disturbed the cubs.

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