Virginia Black Bear Cubs Recovering After Mother Was Killed By Automobile

Two black bear cubs are reportedly recovering at the Wildlife Center of Virginia after their being orphaned when their mother was struck and killed by a vehicle last week.

The two cubs seemingly escaped up a tree unharmed and had to be removed by local volunteer firefighters, local police and Virginia game and wildlife officials, who used water hoses to spray the tree's branches enough to where the male cubs could no longer hold on, according to the local newspaper the Greene County Record.  After the bears were secured, they were taken to the wildlife center, where they are in good condition.

"They are both clinically healthy," Leighann Cline of the Wildlife Center of Virginia said  last week, according to the newspaper. "They will be introduced to other young cubs we have over the next few days."

After being examined by a veterinarian,, the cubs were reported to have no injuries, but their young age means they will require special attention in the absence of their mother.

"They are still young enough to be drinking milk, so they must be bottle fed until they can eat more solid food," said Rich Sim, the center's veterinary fellow.

"As far as what comes next, we are unsure. We do have several other orphaned cubs, so I believe we'll be working together with [the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries] over the next few weeks to develop a plan for them."

The Wildlife Center's website indicates that the orphan bear brothers have now been introduced to other bear cubs and are getting bottle fed twice a day and are "beginning to eat a mush bowl."

There area where the bear was struck is only a few miles east of the 10,000 acre Rapidian Wildlife Management Area. Black bears are the only type of bears living in Virginia, present in all but the state's coastal counties.