Welcome to CoveBear.com! - Black Bear Rescue

Black bears in the wild have a very good chance for survival. They come equipped with a fantastic sense of smell and very good eyesight (they can see in color). They can run fast (35 mph), climb trees fast, and they are excellent swimmers. Black bears are omnivorous, meaning they will adapt their diet to whatever is available - they will eat mammals, fish, insects, amphibians, fish, berries, nuts, fruits, cultivated crops, grain and seeds, grasses, leaves, and people food.

Black bears have very strong muscles, teeth, and claws, that help them get foods. These bears also use those muscles, teeth, and claws, to protect themselves, their cubs, their meals, and their denning territories.

Bears grow up strong mainly because they get a good start at the beginning of life. Baby bears drink their mother's milk. Bear milk is extremely high in fat, and very high in protein. These little bear bodies absorb that life-giving food into organs, blood, sight, hearing, fur, and claws. When bear cubs stay with their mothers the right length of time, a year and a half, they tend to grow up very strong. We have seen bear cubs as old as nine months, still being allowed to nurse, in between their other meals of insects and nuts.

SOMETIMES TRAGEDY STRIKES

But sometimes something happens in a little bear cub's life, and it no longer has the benefit of it's mother's milk. Sometimes it loses its mother. The mother bear may get hit by a car or truck and die. She may become sick and die from disease. She may be injured from falling out of a tree or over a rock ledge and die by accident. She may die from a gunshot wound. She may be attacked by another larger bear. Sometimes the mother bear will be frightened by something and run away, and when the little cub can't keep up, he is left behind and becomes lost.

When a very young bear cub is just out of the den and loses its mother, the chances of it surviving on its own are very slim. Very often it is attacked by a predator, or it just dies of starvation. A very young cub is not prepared to eat hard foods, and has not had the benefit of watching its mother's behavior and learning how to find food. Also a young cub will probably not venture very far from where it was abandoned in order to find food. It may stay there at the base of a tree forever, waiting for its mama to return.

If an orphaned bear cub manages to stay alive a few months, chances are it is in very bad shape, and may not survive very long. It may starve to death, or it may be attacked by larger predators, including male adult bears.

Sometimes a bear cub is discovered in the woods, sitting or lying under a tree, and it appears to be abandoned. Sometimes mother bears leave their cubs at the base of their safety tree for some time, while they go off to find food. This often happens in summer when berries are ripening. It is important that this type of discovery be reported to a wildlife agency promptly, and that you not approach the bear cub. The wildlife officer may watch the cub for a while to see if the mother comes back for it. If no mother bear appears, and it is decided that the cub is abandoned, then the cub may be left alone in the woods, or it may be picked up and brought to a rehabilitation facility if one is nearby. Some rehab facilities will let the bear cub grow there safely, and then later, with the help of a wildlife resources expert, the bear is released back to wild habitat.

Copyright KMG for CoveBear.com

A DECISION MUST BE MADE

The wildlife officer, such as a state DNR officer, or a National Park Service ranger, or a Forest Service official, is on the front lines when it comes to wild bears. Before that officer picks up that bear cub, he must know the rules of his state, and have a plan of action once he takes the cub from the woods. Several states now know of a place where the cub can be sent for rehabilitation. If the officer has a plan that includes bear rehab and release, he will know of such a place.

PEOPLE WHO HELP WITH RESCUED WILD BLACK BEARS

- REHABILITATION WITH THE GOAL OF RELEASE BACK TO THE WILD:

SOUTHEAST U.S.:

Appalachian Bear Center, located in Tennessee www.appalachianbearrescue.org

NORTHEAST U.S.:

Second Chance Wildlife, Inc., located in Maine www.beartodream.org

NORTHWEST U.S.:

Idaho Black Bear Rehabilitation, located in Idaho www.bearrehab.org

Click here for other people to call if you should find a lost bear cub

Click here to return to American Black Bear

Click here to go to Black Bear #1 DVD

Click here to go to Black Bear #2 DVD

Click here to go to Black Bear #3 DVD

Click here to go to Black Bear #4 DVD

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KMG is not responsible for errors in information, but accuracy is our goal.

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