MILLVILLE, Utah — A bear cub with special needs is getting a helping hand from some folks at Utah State University.
It's part of the university's partnership with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in which orphaned bears are rescued and transported to USU's Predator Research Facility in Millville. There, they receive veterinary care and food to help prepare them to return to the wild.
This year, a cub about half the normal weight of a bear her age is receiving care at the facility. She was also dehydrated when she was rescued.
“Normally by this time of year, they're 60 pounds, something like that," said Darren DeBloois with DWR. "That's plenty big enough; they can survive on their own. This one was about half that. It just seemed small. So, we thought... 'Let's feed it for a while, a couple months, and then we'll let it go again.'"
Those at the rehabilitation center say the cub is doing well and could be released into the wild later this month.
A constant live stream of the bear's enclosure can be watched online here.
The video below shares a look at the facility back in 2020 when the team was caring for three orphaned bear cubs.
