Community rallies to rescue sick, orphaned black bear cub in El Dorado County

By Michelle Bandur

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    EL DORADO COUNTY, California (KCRA) — An El Dorado County community is rallying around a special visitor.

An orphaned black bear cub has been seen in the area of Pilot Hill near Coloma and the South Fork American River.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife tried to find the bear and could not. But a woman who lives nearby did.

The cub has been surviving in rough terrain for months.

“My heart was just overwhelmed when we found him. Oh! That little bear,” Susan Browning said.

While people were trying to capture the bear, it captured the hearts of residents like Browning.

“We have been going out for four days, four times a day at least,” she said.

Every time there was a sighting, they called Fish and Wildlife.

“The community alerted us to this bear,” said Peter Tira with Fish and Wildlife. “There was a lot of concern about it as it appears quite sick.”

Browning couldn’t stop thinking about that bear.

“Last night, we went out three times, and I said, ‘Let’s just go out one more time,'” Browning said.

Browning, her husband and a couple passing by spotted the little bear, which weighs about 10 pounds, and managed to wrap it in a blanket.

“We just grabbed him and snuggled him and then put him in the cat carrier, like you would have a cat that doesn’t really want to go in the cat carrier,” she said.

They took the bear to Gold Country Wildlife Rescue in Auburn.

Veterinarians believe it has ringworm, a fungal infection that causes hair loss.

“We’re glad the bear is in the right place,” Tira said. “It appears to be very sick and likely has been sick for many months, given its condition.”

“Everybody’s been saying it’s a Christmas miracle, and I can’t believe we found this bear because I don’t think he would have survived a lot longer,” Browning said.

They are all praying for another miracle— that the cub will be rehabilitated and live its life back out in the wild.

The public can report wildlife sightings and concerns to the Fish and Wildlife regional headquarters in the Rancho Cordova office at 916-358-2917.

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