There are happy endings for several black bear cubs who were rescued last year around the Virginia watershed. This month, they were released back into the wild as healthy yearlings.
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF), along with the Wildlife Center of Virginia, carefully moved seven bears to undisclosed, “wild” areas where they could be released.
The seven cubs all arrived at the Wildlife Center of Virginia, near Shenandoah State Park, under different circumstances back in 2018. Some were lost, others orphaned, and one had been found by a teenage hiker, who carried the bear home with him.
All of the cubs needed care from the wildlife rehabilitation team, and all seven were released in good condition.
In the video below, DGIF captures the moment the young bears taste freedom, and District Wildlife Biologist Katie Martin talks about the rehabilitation program:
Over the past year, a total of 15 bears were rehabilitated at the Wildlife Center of Virginia. To find out more about the rescue stories of these bears, or about bear rehabilitation at the Wildlife Center, click here.
-Meg Walburn Viviano
