Bear Cub Saved From CA Fires

KingstonsMom · ‎03-09-2010

A bear cub is recovering after receiving fish skin bandages to her paws, which were burned in the California wildfires.

A contractor found the yearling black bear female alone on August 2 near Whiskeytown, California, lying in ash and unable to walk on her raw, burned paws.

The area falls within the path of the Carr Fire which has burned tens of thousands of acres since it ignited in July.

The contractor notified California Fish and Wildlife, which tranquilized the bear and took it to the department's lab in Rancho Cordova, California, for treatment.

'Generally speaking, an animal that has survived a fire and is walking around on its own should be left alone, but that wasn’t the case here,' California Department of Fish and Wildlife environmental program manager Jeff Stoddard told ABC News.

Besides the fact that she couldn't stand or walk, Stoddard said that active and growing fires and the lack of a suitable nearby habitat to re-home the cub in contributed to the decision to move her to the lab.

An examination by a vet Monday revealed that the cub had third-degree burns on all four of her paws.

University of California, Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital's Dr. Jamie Peyton then decided to treat the bear with an experimental procedure involving the use of sterilized tilapia skins — a treatment that had previously worked successfully on two adult black bears and a mountain lion cub also burned during wildfires.

California Fish and Wildlife picked up the bear and took her to their lab for treatment

The bear was examined by a vet on Monday, who determined she had third-degree burns

More pics and story here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6047113/Bear-cub-burned-California-wildfire-gets-fish-skin.h...

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

Tallgal · ‎03-12-2010

She is beautiful. It is wonderful that that the veternarian took care of her. Bless every creature great and small in the path of this fire.

NickNack · ‎03-10-2010

How sad. I'm glad she was rescued. I am so sad about all the animals that were killed in the fires.

The Bluebird Carries The Sky On His Back"
-Henry David Thoreau

Abrowneyegirl · ‎03-15-2010

May there be a special place for the man that reconized the cub needed help.

Seeing that cub with the burned paws literally hurts my heart.

doxie1 · ‎03-09-2010

I am so glad that the bear was rescued and hope it fully recovers.

doxie

shortbreadlover · ‎06-25-2018

hope she recovers fully.

i wish people would learn that animals suffer too.

goldensrbest · ‎03-10-2010

I so worry about the animals , no where to run.

When you lose some one you L~O~V~E, that Memory of them, becomes a TREASURE.

candys mine · ‎08-20-2012

I am in tears for that yearling cub. Her poor little feet all burned up so she could not save herself any more and lay down all alone in the ashes. God bless those that got her out of there and are trying to give her some healing and comfort. Good on them.