Last spring, seven baby bears around the state lost their mothers and were taken to a high-tech veterinary center in Waynesboro.
“They came to us as tiny cubs, and they have essentially been growing up at the center.”
Spokesman Connor Gillespie says that, at first, they required round-the-clock feeding, but a few months in they were learning the art of being a bear.
“How to forage for their own food. How to climb trees. How to interact with other bears and do all the things a wild bear would do.”
Last week, the last of those cubs were released in areas with plenty of acorns, insects and plants to eat.
“They did a quick look back, but then they immediately bolted into the woods.”
Gillespie notes they were encouraged to leave.
“We kind of make loud noises when they’re leaving, which isn’t meant to be mean, but we want to remind them to be wary of humans.”
And the wildlife center is confident they’ll be fine.
“When we release the bears, they have ear tags, so if they are spotted later those ear tags will identify them as having been rehabilitated at the wildlife center, and sometimes we’ll get reports of yearlings that we released many, many years ago that are still out there thriving – much bigger since they’ve left, and they’re doing really well. Some of them have even had cubs of their own.”
Now, for the first time in more than six years, the center says it has no bears in custody, giving keepers a much-needed rest.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
