For the bears

From her computer terminal in a small office in the Wildlife Center of Virginia, Miranda Sadar catches a glimpse of No. 11-2532.

“See his Buddha belly?” said the veterinarian, pointing to the small black bear cub on the screen.

Delivered to the center underweight and under-conditioned, the orphaned cub should be ready for release within a few weeks, said Amanda Nicholson, director of outreach for the center. Until then, the bear will enjoy near celebrity status as part of “critter nation,” a global group that focused its interest on the Waynesboro facility several years ago with the arrival of an injured bald eagle.

“There’s a lot of chatter in the moderated discussion on our website and on our Facebook page,” Nicholson said. “He’s got his own following now.”

The center became home for the cub two weeks ago after his mother was struck and killed by a vehicle in Suffolk.

Officials with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries tranquilized the cub and a litter mate after the pair climbed two trees in the median of Route 58.

While his litter mate died after the tranquilizer dart pierced his small intestine, the cub is making progress toward a healthy recovery, Sadar said.

The cub was anesthetized for exams and radiographs upon arrival, Sadar said.

“We did a full physical and took some blood work,” she said. “We saw changes expected in a growing animal and some changes consistent with blood loss.”

The cub was then transferred to the center’s bear pen.

“He plays, he destroys things, he throws his bowls around, eats a lot and sleeps a fair amount,” Sadar said. “It’s kind of been a hands off type of care.”

Rehabilitators use that approach to keep the cub from becoming accustomed to contact with humans, she said.

Each day the bear is given a diet of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and insects.
The bear originally weighed in at 23 to 25 pounds, but appears to have gained about 5 to 7 pounds.

“He looks bigger and fatter,” Sadar said. “He’s still small for a 10-month-old bear, but he’s looking better.”

An attempt to reweigh the cub failed Tuesday, when the bear stood up on his hind legs and growled at rehabilitators.

After a few weeks of care, Nicholson said she expects the bear to be able to live on his own.

“Black bears usually stay with mom until about a year-and-a-half,” she said. “Normally he would be enjoying the protection of mom, but he’s not nursing anymore and can get his own food. We just want to fatten him up and get his body in better condition because he was a pretty skinny guy.”

Images of the bear taken from the center’s “critter cam” are available for viewing online at www.wildlifecenter.org.