Orphaned bear cub ‘packed on the pounds' at NY rescue. See him return to wild
An orphaned black bear cub that defied the odds and 'survived a very cold winter alone' in upstate New York quickly 'packed on the pounds' and returned to the wild, video shows.
The yearling cub was found all alone near skiing trails — 'so weak he could barely walk,' McClatchy News previously reported.
'The little guy was found on the slopes of Hunter Mt. in March,' Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center said in a Facebook post May 15. 'After only 60 days he packed on the pounds & he was ready to go home.'
But as officials were getting ready to release him, more orphaned cubs joined him, the organization said in an April 23 post.
'Since Hunter bear (found on Hunter Mt) came in March, 3 more underweight and weak yearlings have landed with us as well as 5 cubs!' the organization said, adding that the Hunter Mountain bear looked good in a recent photo at the time.
A photo shows the bear climbing on a log in his enclosure.
Video of the bear's release shows him bursting out of a cage, then pausing to give a last look at the people who made his return to the wild possible.
'He looked back to say 'thank you!'' someone said in the comments.
The cub hesitates before bounding off into the forest as someone off camera chuckles.
'I am crying,' someone said in the comments. 'It takes a big wide wild village.'
The video also shows the release of another bear that the organization referred to as the Margaretville bear.
'She was spotted late last year as it was getting cold,' the organization said in the post. 'After two weeks of being seen running around looking for food in Margaretville, she was finally captured by Michael our long time volunteer. These two bears were extremely (underweight) when found & we are thrilled to say they made a great recovery. Let Wild Be Wild!'
That bear took off into the forest with no hesitation, video shows.
In a video shared shortly before the organization released the Hunter Mountain bear, four of the cubs are seen playing together in their enclosure.
'Just in case anyone was wondering what happens when you put 4 orphaned cubs in a 4x8 room,' the organization said in a May 3 post. 'If you guessed chaos you would be correct.'
Video shows the cubs running around the enclosure, climbing up and down and then tumbling off a log.
Several of the remaining cubs were released or will be released soon, according to posts from the organization and from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
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