Three tiny orphaned black bear cubs which were 'bear'ly alive, have a much brighter future,
thanks to the Appalachian Bear centre (ABC). Although their fate is still up in the air,
the cubs' chances of once again roaming free in the wild improve with each passing day.
Their journey began in late January when a logging company in North Carolina accidentally cut
down their mother's den tree. A few hours later the loggers heard the helpless cries of the
cubs, but could not locate the mother anywhere. Wanting to do the right thing, they left the
cubs alone in hopes that she would return. She never did.
Shortly thereafter, a call was placed to the ABC, a local non-profit group, specially designed
to care for orphaned or injured black bears. "I received a call at 1:30 a.m. from a woman wanting
to know what to feed three hungry little bear cubs," says Daryl Ratajezak, Curator of the Bear
Center. Knowing all too well the urgency of the situation, Ratajezak instructed the woman on
immediate care and put the wheels into motion for the cubs eventual transfer to East Tennessee.
"These cubs are neonatals, which means they are still dependant upon their mothers for milk and
warmth", says Tom Brosch, President of the ABC, "That means drastic measures are called for".
Typically, the ABC will adhere to its strict 'hands off' policy, to prevent the bears from
becoming dependent on people. Since these neonatal cubs need to be bottle fed daily, a special
plan had to be devised.
This plan called for the cooperation of a number of state and federal agencies to get permission
to carry out a detailed 'adoption' procedure.
The idea is to have the ABC care for the neonatal cubs until wild surrogate mother bears are
found who will 'adopt' the orphans.
Each orphan will be introduced to a wild surrogate mother and be successfully adopted while she
is still in her den. Since she will be in the middle of her hibernation, she won't be fully
aware of what is going on. By the time she awakes in spring, she won't even know the 'extra' cub
isn't hers to begin with. This method of adoption has been quite successful in the past.
Dr. Mike Pelton looks for viable surrogate mothers within the National park.
The ABC make their stay at the bear center as least traumatic as possible, by creating a
friendly atmosphere for the young bears.
Their temporary 'den' is a large Rubber maid storage container. It is lined with a number
of clean towels and has a large 'Momma Bear' (stuffed animal) for comfort. A 'ticking' clock
wrapped in a washcloth is placed near the bears to simulate mom's heartbeat. Warm water
bottles are wrapped in towels and placed in the pen every four hours to provide warmth.
A heating pad placed under one end of the box also provides warmth. Should any of the cubs
become too hot, they could simply crawl a few inches to a cooler area.
The less than two-pound cubs have to be fed every 3-4 hours. Luckily, a number of volunteers
help out to make this task easier.
One area in which the center really needs help is paying for the neonatal's care, "One
twelve-ounce can of specially formulated milk costs about five dollars. Considering the cubs
go through a few cans of milk a day, the expenses can quickly add up.
Story Update!
In June 1997 a 2 1/2 year old bear weighing only 49lbs was found trapped near the Cades Cove campground.
She was just skin and bones and during a check up veterinarians discovered a 4 1/2 inch long
stick embedded on the inside of her left leg.No wonder she was emaciated! She couldn't even get around
to forage for food! A small surgical procedure removed the stick and she was sent to the ABC to recouperate.
After 6 weeks of rest and relaxation she was fully recovered - the only sign of her ordeal being her
shaved left hind leg from the surgery.Her release date was timed to coincide with the peak of the berry
season and, on a beautiful sunny afternoon at the beginning of August, she was released near Cades Cove
Loop in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. Upon her release she ran across the the field nearly
30 yards, did a pirouette for all the cameras to take pictures, then ambled off into the nearby
woods, happy to be home.
To 'The Appalachian Bear Center' - USA, we donated R 2000,00 = USD 196,00 on the 5th October
1999.
Message from Daryl Rataiezak : Appalachian Bear centre.
New undercover video footage of Bear Bile Farms;
BC Role in International Bear Parts Trade under Scrutiny.
A Press Conference is scheduled for tomorrow morning (Jan.17) in Ottowa. The Environmental
lnvestigation Agency will be releasing new undercover video footage showing disturbing and
inhumane practices of Bear Bile Farming in China.
Last year, the Environmental Investigation Agency was responsible for revealing the sale
of bear gall bladder in Vancouver's Chinatown district, which led to the Ministry of
Environment's Operation Barlegal. After raids on Chinese Herbal Pharmacies, 192 bear gall
bladders and other endangered animal parts were seized, eight people and three businesses face
charges (trials are scheduled for Sept.1996).
B.C. Connection
It has been recently uncovered that four B.C. Black Bears were sold by the Okanagan Game
Farm to Mark Jackson, an animal "collector' in Gorrie, Ont. From an anonymous tip Bear Watch
learned of Mr Jackson's inquiries into Bear Bile Farming in China, specifically in regards to
obtaining the necessary CITES Export Permit. Bill Munro of the Wildlife Branch, responsible
for issuing CITES export Permits in B.C., has stated that he would not issue such a permit if
the application were made in this province. This situation reveals the inconsistencies and
loopholes, which exist in Canada, that make the International trade in bears and bear
parts such a problem. No reason was required by the applicant for the Ministry of Environment
to issue the B.C. Sundry Export Permit, which allowed the bears to be shipped out of B.C.
Once the B.C. bears arrive in Ontario they have no legal standing.The Ontario Government
only has jurisdiction over Ontario wildlife, which leaves B.C. Wildlife open to the abuse
of International Trade.
Although the trade in bear parts is banned in British Columbia, these loopholes allow the
trade to continue and flourish in other provinces. The recent court cases in the Lower
Mainland (Sang Ho Kim, Kyu Hak Yon, among others) have shown the extent to which this trade
has grown. The serious ramifications to B.C.'s black bear populations cannot be ignored.
IMPORTANT FACT TO KNOW
The Animal Alliance, an animal protection group based in Toronto, have initiated a 7 Point
Plan to close legal loopholes, and to finally end the international trade in bear gall bladders,
bear paws, and bear penis bones. Bear Watch is one of over 90 groups which signed on to the
Plan.
The Appalachian Bear Centre - U.S.A.
There was a happy ending to this story - all 3 cubs were successfully placed with wild
surrogate mothers.One was placed in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, the
other 2 were placed in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.
Cades Cove Rescue
"We have just formulated our wish list for a small veterinary clinic for the bears and we
hope to begin purchasing items for it soon. As far as what exactly it will go for, I don't
know yet, but we need surgical supplies, drugs, and various pieces of hospital equipment.
Thanks again for the donation and we'll keep you informed of our progress".
FACT SHEET
Media Release : January 16, 1996
Seven Point Plan to End the Trade in Bear Parts:
Bear Watch Demands:
In light of recent events, Bear Watch reiterates the following demands:
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