I have always been taught that you shouldn't approach wild animals.
While these animals can be beautiful to look at, you never can predict how they might react to human contact. But sometimes they can be in need of rescuing, like the drowning baby moose who was saved by a young hero. In such cases, it is important to seek help from a wildlife agency or animal shelter. So I was extremely glad to hear that one hero stepped in to rescue this adorable baby bear cub that was starving and malnourished.
A 5-month-old bear cub was spotted several times last week on the banks of the Nolichucky River near the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. The cub appeared to be abandoned by its mother and in need of food and medical attention. Luckily, a rafting guide named Danny Allen was able to come to the rescue.
Do you think what Danny Allen did to save this starving bear cub was heroic? Let us know in the comments.
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h/t: The Dodo/WLTV/Knoxville News Sentinel
Danny Allen is a rafting guide who picked up this abandoned bear cub from the side of the Nolichucky River and brought her to the USA Raft Company. The raft company's owner Matt Moses told the Knoxville News Sentinel, "We had seen this bear over the last four days, and there was no sight of a mama bear."
Moses went on, "She was obviously malnourished and appeared to be in distress. My guides kept coming back to me and saying they had no idea what to do. We didn't want to see this bear die on the side of the river."
Danny Allen told WLVT News that when he rafted up to the bear cub, it jumped right into his boat. "We picked her up and brought her down here. Very skinny for her size, for the age she is, she should have been twice her size."
Matt Moses told the Knoxville News Sentinel, "We see bear fairly often, but we've never seen anything like this. This is the first time I've ever heard of a bear getting in a raft." The men immediately called the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
The starving cub was taken to the Appalachian Bear Rescue for rehabilitation. Workers began to care for her right away. Dana Dodd of the rescue told the Knoxville News Sentinel, "She was very dehydrated, and the doctors gave her fluids."
They even named her Noli after the Nolichucky River where she was discovered. Noli was given a thorough examination where doctors discovered that she was, in fact, a girl.
Dodd told the Knoxville News Sentinel, "She will have to stay in the acclimatization area until we can't see any more of her neurological conditions, like dehydration and possibly heat stroke."
Noli must remain in this area until she is well enough to join the other bear cubs. Dodd continued, "It may be a week or so. We have to be sure she is hearing, seeing, and climbing well."
Dodd went on, "She likes grapes and applesauce. Those things are great for her because they're filled with water."
While Noli appears to be making a steady recovery, Dodd said that she will need to gain 50 pounds before she can be released into the wild, which should be several months.
In the meantime, Noli is continuing to improve. The Appalachian Bear Rescue posted on Facebook, "Noli Bear's story has circulated around the world. We hope this serves to focus attention on black bears and the efforts...to help orphaned and injured cubs f
To learn more about Noli and the Appalachian Bear Rescue, check out their Facebook page.
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