Several people were seen pulling two bear cubs out of a tree and taking pictures with them on Tuesday in Asheville, North Carolina, and officials are reminding residents that they should never touch the animals.
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is investigating the incident, which occurred at the Berrington Village Apartments, the Asheville Citizen Times reported Thursday.
A bystander recorded video footage of four individuals standing near a fence and pulling the cubs out of the tree. A woman appears to hold a cub in front of her as someone else takes a photo. At one point in the clip, a bear cub is seen running down the fence line as an individual chases after it.
The bystander who recorded the incident, resident Rachel Staudt, told the Citizen Times, “I tried telling them to stop, but they wouldn’t listen, so I thought recording it might help get justice for the sweet bear cub. I’m not sure how long it went on for, but far too long.”
In a press release on Thursday, the NCWRC said the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Department contacted staffers about the incident and went to the scene. Once they arrived, the staff members were told both of the cubs had escaped after one of them bit a person in the group.
“One of the cubs was found later in a retention pond and taken to a licensed cub rehabilitation facility. The other has not been located,” the agency said:
NCWRC’s BearWise® Coordinator Ashley Hobbs captured one cub and noted that it was in poor condition. “The cub appeared to be lethargic and frightened. It looked to be favoring one of its front paws and was wet and shivering,” said Hobbs. The cub is now being cared for by a licensed and experienced cub rehabilitator with the goal of releasing it back into the wild later this year.
Officials also said a bear cub found alone is seldom orphaned or abandoned because its mother is usually nearby looking for food before she returns to get her cub.
“Remaining in the area or attempting to catch the cub could inadvertently separate it from its mother and possibly injure the cub,” the agency said.
Officials explained that people should contact the NCWRC if they think a bear cub has been orphaned, but, in the meantime, they should not touch, catch, remove, or feed the animal.
Black bears are more active in the springtime after they emerge from their dens, according to the NCWRC website.
“If you suspect a cub or cubs have been orphaned, the best thing you can do is leave it alone and immediately contact the Wildlife Commission at 866-318-2401 or the district biologist for your area,” the site reads.
Once the people in the video were identified, Hobbs contacted them and explained how dangerous it is to interact with cubs in that manner.
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