Selfie-Takers Force Bear Cubs To Pose
4/22/24
In Asheville, NC, a group of people were captured on video pulling bear cubs out of trees so that they could take selfies with the bears. I repeat: Dumb people caught on video.
Do people really need to be told that wild bears are not the same as teddy bears, build-a-bears, or gummy bears?
I don’t know what I’m more surprised at: that someone would actually handle a wild bear just to get a selfie, that Florida Man was not someone behind the really dumb stunt, or that the video didn’t end with mama bear jumping out of the bushes and ripping someone’s arm off. (See YouTube video below.)
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) shared the video in which several people approached a tree where two cubs were perched on the branches. The group then yanked the animals from the tree before one person posed with a cub and then dropped it after a loud screech is heard (presumably the mama bear losing its mind).
Later, the NCWRC located a cub in poor condition in a nearby retention pond. (The other bear couldn’t be located.)
“The cub appeared to be lethargic and frightened. It looked to be favoring one of its front paws and was wet and shivering.”
The NCWRC said that the bear’s condition “is likely a result of the unnecessary and irresponsible actions of the people involved.”
When reached for comment, an angry Yogi Bear had this to say: “I’m totally speechless. We take a few picnic baskets and this is the response we get? I’ll see those cub-snatchers in court. C’mon, Boo Boo.”
Anyone who suspects they’ve encountered an orphaned bear cub should contact wildlife officials and not attempt to capture it. A bear cub seen alone is rarely orphaned or abandoned.
“Often the mother bear is nearby foraging for food and will return in a few hours, or earlier,” the NCWRC explained. “Remaining in the area or attempting to catch the cub could inadvertently separate it from its mother and possibly injure the cub.”
If it’s any consolation, witnesses told wildlife officials that one of the cubs bit one of the people before the bears ran away.
It’s the most justifiable case of bit-and-run that I’ve ever heard of.
#bearybearybad
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