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Getting Our Bearings
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2017/07 - July
Thanks to the generosity of the members of B.E.A.R. (Bear Education and Resources Task Force), the four little bear cubs recently orphaned in the Highlands area are $1,000 closer to being financially provided-for at Kindred Spirits Care for Wildlife in Graham, North Carolina.
But they need another $24,000. Why so much? A cub eats a phenomenal amount of special formula, nuts, berries, fruit, and supplements every month. Add housing, maintenance, medical attention, and more for a full year (when officials anticipate their release back into the wild), then multiply that by four, and the bill ratchets up in a hurry.
Of course, it would have been so much simpler had their mother cared for the four cubs until they matured and went off on
their own.
But, sadly, this story is a familiar, albeit complicated tale. As humans move into bear territory, bears, which are opportunistic eaters, begin to rummage through two-legger’s trash cans, ravaging the grease left on the grill, eating their way through the bird feeder food bar, and even gobbling handouts intentionally left in hopes of snapping that Instagram selfie with bear-in-background. Yes, feed them and they will come. In fact, if given irresistible invitations they’ll not only come, they’ll crash the party …literally. This particular bear (the cubs’ mother) had broken into a house several times, causing extensive damage, before she was shot.
B.E.A.R., under its 501(c)3 affiliate MountainTrue, has taken up the cause of raising money for the cubs. B.E.A.R. has an outstanding education program (contact them about visiting your school or organization) on how to coexist with and protect bears. B.E.A.R. reminds us we are an integral part of cohabitation. If we choose to live in bear country, we must be responsible to its order.
Cynthia Strain, spokeswoman for B.E.A.R., says, “This kind of thing doesn’t happen that often, but it wouldn’t happen at all if we were more conscientious about eliminating temptations by managing our trash and birdfeeders better.”
B.E.A.R. hopes you’ll help these cubs by sending a donation (payable to MountainTrue-BEAR) to B.E.A.R., P.O. Box 1238, Highlands, 28741. Money goes to a special account earmarked for the cubs.
Find B.E.A.R.’s helpful brochures at town hall and the Chamber of Commerce.
