Orphaned bear cub rescued from a brush fire last year ‘runs the whole show’ at wildlife center

He’s known as Double Green, and he’s the boss of the seven young bears currently being cared for at the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro.

Ten months after he was rescued from a brush fire in Wythe County, the black bear is now almost a year old. He was an infant, 6 to 8 weeks old, and weighed just 5.5 pounds when he was admitted to the center.

These days, he’s the biggest and heaviest of the young bears and has a bit of an attitude and a big bear demeanor. Whether they’re munching on their favorite snacks of grapes or live worms, the other bears always let him eat first, according to Alex Olvera, the center’s rehabilitation supervisor who has worked directly with the young bear.

“He is one of our largest cubs that we have had in the past several years,” she said. “He looks like he’s going to be a very large and robust male and he’s been like that since he was a baby. Even though he came in at the age when they are still being bottle-fed, he was quite robust and he always liked his food. … He kind of runs the whole show.”

The fire broke out on the night of March 14 in the Piney community, where someone burning brush lost control of the fire. Eventually, the blaze grew to nearly 300 acres.

As the fire spread, the cub’s mother was seen leaving the area by residents who warned fire officials that she might have left a cub or cubs behind.

With the help of several young firefighters at the scene, Matt Hankins, the assistant county administrator, listened for the sound of an animal in distress and soon homed in on some yelps coming from a spot just 2 feet from where the fire had burned.

Hankins, a former volunteer firefighter who was at the scene that day because he had been acting as the county’s emergency director, was afraid the bear would fear him and run. But the animal moved a little closer to him, so he was able to scoop him up and carry him “like a baby” out of harm’s way.

He knew enough to limit the bear’s contact with additional humans, so he kept the animal quiet and secure until a state wildlife biologist could pick up the bear. She kept him in a dog crate at her home overnight, then took him to the wildlife center.

Although the cub suffered no visible burns, those at the center were worried about the smoke he’d inhaled and listed him in fair condition. Over the first few days, he remained in the center’s intensive care unit, where he received around-the-clock care.

The cub was dubbed Double Green for the two identifying green tags in his ears. He was soon joined by another bear, and the two were fed by bottle until they could take solid foods.

In the beginning, the animals were kept in small enclosures with more hands-on care, but they eventually moved into the big outdoor yards where it’s more hands-off, according to Connor Gillespie, the center’s director of outreach. The yards are about an acre each, and they provide climbing trees and artificial dens, or the bears can make their own dens. Lots of wild birds and small animals are also in the yards.

During the winter, the young bears go into torpor, which is a state of decreased activity. It’s not full hibernation like adult bears experience — the young animals will sleep for a day or two, then be up and active for a while before going back to sleep. They eat less during this time.

The bears admitted to the center stay around a year or so, which is the time they normally would remain with their mothers. As they grow older, their care becomes more hands-off so the bears remain wild, Gillespie said.

“Obviously, the team no longer goes in with the bears, which are very large now. … Our goal is to make sure that they stay wild, so when they’re released, they are a wild bear with wild bear behaviors and they know how to survive,” he said.

1,000 pounds of bear food per week

The wildlife center is a nonprofit teaching and research hospital founded in 1982 for native wildlife. It is the only veterinary and rehabilitation facility in the state that is permitted to provide medical and long-term care for black bears.

Since its founding, the center has treated more than 100,000 wild animal patients, representing more than 200 species native to Virginia.

The center depends on donations. Care of all the animals, each with different needs, is expensive, from medical care to maintaining the facilities and providing the food, Gillespie said.

The bears are among the most costly to care for. Last fall, when the seven bears were very active and fattening up for the winter, they were fed a total of more than 1,000 pounds of food per week.

On Friday, the center held a birthday party for all the bears, with each receiving special treats. The date was chosen based on a study that found that the average day for black bears to give birth in Virginia is Jan. 17; the party is held on that day every year, according to Gillespie.

Preparing for a return to the wild

Hankins has kept tabs on the bear, occasionally watching him on the live critter cams on the center’s website, where the bears can be seen playing, climbing, sleeping and eating. Occasionally, he gets to see new photos. In the beginning, he said he could tell which bear was the one he saved, but it’s getting harder to tell them apart as they grow older.

Two weeks after the fire, Hankins and others were recognized with Compassionate Action Awards by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The Ivanhoe Volunteer Fire Department received a Compassionate Fire Department Award.

Hankins has also accumulated a number of bear items in recent months that he displays in his office, and the collection is growing. He said he’s been surprised by the number of people who continue to ask how the animal is doing.

“It’s nice to see that people are interested in knowing … how the story ends,” he said. “Hopefully, the bear goes on to have a long, fulfilling life out in the wild somewhere.”

It has been a good experience, he said.

“I’m tickled to be part of a good news story. I work in local government,” he said with a laugh.

For Christmas, Hankins’ wife, Dulcie, made a donation to the wildlife center in her husband’s name, which earned him a bear ambassador recognition and a certificate.

Ultimately, Hankins said his “ideal recognition” would be to be there when the bear is released into the wild.

That day will come in mid-March and will be handled by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Olvera said.

DWR officials will choose a site for each bear that is remote and doesn’t have much of a bear population, Gillespie said.

“That gives them a leg up as they go back to the wild. They’re not going to encounter people, and they’re not going to encounter a lot of bears,” he said. “It gives them some time to reacclimate and really get into their territory.”

The animals remain tagged and sometimes those at the center get reports of sightings of bears that were treated at the center, though it may be years later. Sometimes, they even get photos.

“Hopefully, they’ll just live long lives,” Gillespie said.