Baby Bear Cub Possibly Orphaned In Lake Tahoe, Animal Rescuers Search For Clues
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE (CBS SF) -- A baby bear cub no bigger than a house cat showed up on the door of the BEAR League in Homewood, El Dorado County Thursday, and now wildlife rescuers are searching for any information about where she came from in hopes of reuniting her with her mother if she is still alive, and eventually returning her safely to the wild.
The five-pound, ten week old bear cub nicknamed "Tahoe" cannot survive in the wild. She barely walks and doesn't even have teeth yet, and needs to drink bear formula from a bottle.
Tom Millham from Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) which is now caring for her said, "We're not sure mom's alive. There are a number of different possibilities. The one we hate to think about is someone poached mom and didn't see the cub there."
"Tahoe" is seen on LTWC video shot Friday rolling and nuzzling a blanket, making contented "chortling" sounds at the center in South Lake Tahoe. Managers there are being cautious not to interact with it more than necessary, being careful not to pet her, cuddle her, or even speak too much around her, hoping she won't get acclimated to humans.
Somehow someone was caring for the helpless cub and then chose to anonymously drop her off on Thursday. The key now is to find out where the bear was before being dropped off, Millham said. "We need to know where the cub came from so when she is ready to be released we can get her back into the same area. "
Generally, a bear cub would be released next spring, within a 75-mile radius of where they were found, so right now, they have no idea where Fish and Game should go to release "Tahoe" once she's old enough.
Anyone with information should contact:
Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, Inc.
Phone, fax & email:
ph. 530.577.2273
f. 530.577-1231
info@ltwc.org
