A Virginia State Police officer is being called a hero to the bears after rescuing two black bear cubs who were orphaned when their mother was killed in a traffic crash.
Virginia State Police posted to Facebook that the two cubs now have a glimmer of hope for survival after Senior Trooper D.H. Cepelnik rescued the two in Franklin County, Va.
The VSP post has gone viral with nearly 30,000 shares since April 13.
The two cubs are now in the care of the Wildlife Center of Virginia, who said the mother was hit and killed trying to cross the road on April 12. The center took the mother's two cubs in within hours of being found by Trooper Cepelnik, which were reportedly thin, dehydrated and mildly anemic upon arrival.
The center said one of the cubs was an untagged female and the other was a tagged male. The male cub was examined and found to have a small chip fracture on the back of his skull.
Both cubs are going through rehab through the coming weeks until they are capable of fending for themselves in the wild. This particular wildlife center said it takes care of dozens of bears each year to try and give them a fighting chance at survival.
The siblings have been introduced to two other cubs at the center and have supervised play time and feeding. The wildlife center said the two aren't too keen on bottle feeding, but seem to be very interested in chowing down on 'mush bowls' of formula and baby food.
As with other organizations such as the Appalachian Bear Rescue in the Great Smoky Mountains, the Wildlife Center of Virginia reminds people that while bear cubs look cute and cuddly, you should never try to come in close contact with them or ever try to feed a bear.
Human interaction will put both bears and people in danger if the bears become accustomed to it, as they could learn to wander residential areas without fear.
