ANTELOPE CREEK, Calif. (KGET) — The United States Forest Service rescued a bear cub from the Antelope Fire near the California-Oregon border last month.
The Klamath National Forest made the announcement in a Facebook post. The post said Wildlife Biologist Sarah Bullock was heading to the Antelope Fire on Aug. 9 when she spotted a young bear cub who was badly burned in the Antelope Creek area. The bear was hugging the base of a tree. She searched for an adult bear but couldn’t find one in the area. Bullock then contacted forest authorities for help.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife sedated the cub and took him to a wildlife rescue facility for treatment. Biologists examined the bear and determined he weighed 16 pounds and had suffered second and third-degree burns to his paws and nose. Veterinarians from the University of California, Davis began treatment on the bear. The veterinarians say he is eating well and showing signs of a full recovery.
Bullock noticed the day she found the bear, Aug. 9, was the anniversary of the day Smokey Bear first appeared on a campaign poster for wildlife prevention. Smokey Bear first appeared in the campaign on Aug. 9, 1944.
“Just as fighting a wildfire takes a concerted effort from multiple crews, jurisdictions, municipalities, government agencies, and private cooperators, the same applied in the rescue of this bear cub,” the Klamath National Forest said in the Facebook post.