A Black Bear Cub Up A Tree

Today's picture features a tiny black bear cub clinging precariously to a tall tree that stands not far from my mom's home in Widener Valley, Virginia. Did the youngster wander away from its mother and get lost? Did the mother meet some untimely fate?

We may never know the circumstances that led to the baby bear climbing that tree, but we do know that it's been up there since last Friday and it seems to be in no hurry to come down.

The game warden came by and set a trap for the cub, hoping that the food inside will entice it to climb out of the tree and walk into the trap - after which it will be transferred to a zoo in Richmond. At just two months old it is highly unlikely that it could survive on its own in the wild. Zoos around the world are home to many lost and orphaned animals and they usually do a great job of caring for them, so hopefully this young cub will have a bright future.

When I was growing up it was very unusual to see a bear in our part of southwestern Virginia. There were frequent sightings in remote communities like Konnarock, Green Cove and Taylors Valley, but to see a bear walking around in the Widener Valley area was a huge event. In recent years however, several pairs of black bears have been released into many of the wooded areas of the state, and as a result the local bear population has increased to the point where they can be seen in many places - even downtown Damascus!

At this point we don't know what this bear cub's fate will be. Although it seems unlikely at this point, we're still hoping that its mom will come looking for it. If not, I guess it will spend virtually its entire life at the zoo.

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