A lone bear cub that appeared to be in poor health was recently rescued by New York conservation officers and is currently being nursed back to health.
In March, employees at Hunter Mountain ski resort in Hunter, New York, reported to conservation officers that a bear cub was walking by itself along the Madison Square ski trail.
Resort employees managed to get the bear off the trail and into nearby woods.
Conservation officers responded to the location and discovered the cub hiding in tall grass adjacent to the ski trail.
The cub appeared malnourished and dehydrated, and was moving slowly with no mother in sight.
The officers contacted Friends of the Feathered and Furry (FFF) Wildlife Center in Hunter for assistance and together managed to safely catch the cub as it unsuccessfully attempted to climb a small tree.
The bear cub, believed to be more than a year old, weighed only 15 pounds. According to wildlife officials, bears his age on average weigh roughly 40 pounds.
The cub was taken to the rehab center where it will receive care until healthy enough to be released back into the wild.
According to staff at FFF, the bear cub is improving and after 10 days weighed 21 pounds.
FFF staff reported that when the bear arrived at the rehab center, he was so frail he could not eat solid food. With care and a special soft diet, including baby food, he was able to start eating solids on his own after a few days.
He was recently moved to an outdoor enclosure where he continues to enjoy his meals and condition himself to climbing.
That space is adjacent to six bears that have been wintering with FFF for a spring release.
FFF staff say they will introduce him to the other bears in a few weeks as he packs on more weight.
