LOCATION OF RESCUE: Nelson County, VA
CONDITION: Thin
ADMISSION DATE: February 9, 2012
PROGNOSIS: Guarded
In early February, a homeowner in Afton, Virginia saw a young bear hanging around on his property. On February 9, several days after seeing the lone bear, the man was able to contain the small yearling in a barrel. He contacted the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and the state bear biologist traveled to Afton to assess the situation. The bear biologist then transported the bear to the Wildlife Center.
Upon admission, Black Bear #12-0073 was settled into an enclosure in the Center’s holding room and received a brief preliminary examination. Dr. Adam Naylor observed the alert bear for a few moments and noted that the bear’s right eye appeared to be abnormal. The staff were able to obtain a weight on the young male Black Bear – it weighed in at just 3.94 kgs [8.67 lbs]. The bear is very underweight for its age; yearlings typically weigh at least 40 – 60 pounds.
Blood work will be reviewed on the afternoon of February 10. At this point, the bear’s main issue is that it is very thin. The team can’t be sure why the yearling is under-sized and under-weight, but similar to the Suffolk bear cub, he just needs some time to put on weight.
The bear will be observed in the Center’s indoor holding facility for the next 24-48 hours, and then will be settled into the Center’s bear pen.
Interesting Information about Black Bears in Virginia
Bear Facts
http://www.dgif.state.va.us/wildlife/bearfacts.pdf