Rescued bear returned to wild
By Patrick McArdle
STAFF WRITER | June 11,2015
STAFF WRITER | June 11,2015
WALLINGFORD — An orphaned bear, rescued from a Wallingford home in March, was released back into the wilderness Wednesday along with a friend.
The female black bear was released into the woods in Mount Holly, just across the Wallingford border, by Timothy Carey, a game warden; Forrest Hammond, Vermont’s bear biologist; and Mary Beth Adler and Ryan Smith, both with the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife. The bear had been rescued from underneath a porch in Wallingford on March 6.
A second female black bear was released on Wednesday at the same time. Hammond said those involved in the bear rescue weren’t sure where it originally came from, but decided to release it in the same area of Green Mountain National Forest in Mount Holly because it was a good bear habitat.The Wallingford bear was about a year old when it was found, and weighed about 11 pounds. “It should have been way bigger. It was very malnourished,” Carey said.
The bear weighed about 55 pounds when it was released on Wednesday.
Carey said the fact that the bear was hibernating under the porch of a house in March indicated it hadn’t learned to be on its own.
“We don’t know exactly how it was orphaned. It could have been a motor vehicle accident or it could be his mom was shot during the hunting season. We don’t know, but now it’s exactly at the right size. It’s going to know where it is and what it’s doing,” he said.
The Wallingford bear suffered some damage from the ordeal. Her left ear showed signs of damage from frostbite. Carey said the bear “bounced back” from the frostbite and said it wouldn’t be a detriment to her life in the wild.
The bears were taken deep into the woods on Wednesday in cages. When the time came to release them, Carey and Hammond simply opened the cages and let them walk out.
The Wallingford bear quickly ran into the wood, but the second bear spent a little more time getting her feet underneath herself as she recovered from a tranquilizer.
In March, the bear was taken to a sanctuary in Lyme, N.H. run by Ben Kilham to be restored to health.
Hammond said Kilham had taken care of more than 20 bears this year. This week, five of those bears were released in Vermont, three in Reading, in Windsor County, on Monday, and two in Mount Holly on Wednesday.
“(The bears) let us know when they’re ready to go. They’re starting to pace the pen and the lot. They’re healthy. They’ve gained weight. It’s the normal time that their mother would usually be kicking them off because it’s mating season,” Hammond said.
Hammond praised Kilham as one of a small number of people who know how to rescue bears and rehabilitate them in a way that will allow them to return to the wild.
In the Mount Holly area where the bears were released, there are plenty of green plants they can eat, Hammond said.
However, Hammond said the bears may not stay in the area. The Wallingford bear may stick around because she is familiar with the area. Carey said the bear was being released less than 10 miles from where she was found.
The other bear is more likely to begin wandering around. Two years ago, Fish & Wildlife released three bears, which were tagged, and found that one ended up being harvested by a hunter in Canada, more than 100 miles away.
Carey said local people can help the bears released on Wednesday, and others like them, live longer lives by bringing in their bird feeders and trash.
“It’s going to be looking for the easiest food source and if we keep our trash and bird feeders inside, we’re going to reduce the conflicts that in a worst case scenario kill the bear because it associates our houses with food. We put ourselves in a dangerous situation when that happens,” he said.
patrick.mcardle @rutlandher
The female black bear was released into the woods in Mount Holly, just across the Wallingford border, by Timothy Carey, a game warden; Forrest Hammond, Vermont’s bear biologist; and Mary Beth Adler and Ryan Smith, both with the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife. The bear had been rescued from underneath a porch in Wallingford on March 6.
A second female black bear was released on Wednesday at the same time. Hammond said those involved in the bear rescue weren’t sure where it originally came from, but decided to release it in the same area of Green Mountain National Forest in Mount Holly because it was a good bear habitat.The Wallingford bear was about a year old when it was found, and weighed about 11 pounds. “It should have been way bigger. It was very malnourished,” Carey said.
The bear weighed about 55 pounds when it was released on Wednesday.
Carey said the fact that the bear was hibernating under the porch of a house in March indicated it hadn’t learned to be on its own.
“We don’t know exactly how it was orphaned. It could have been a motor vehicle accident or it could be his mom was shot during the hunting season. We don’t know, but now it’s exactly at the right size. It’s going to know where it is and what it’s doing,” he said.
The Wallingford bear suffered some damage from the ordeal. Her left ear showed signs of damage from frostbite. Carey said the bear “bounced back” from the frostbite and said it wouldn’t be a detriment to her life in the wild.
The bears were taken deep into the woods on Wednesday in cages. When the time came to release them, Carey and Hammond simply opened the cages and let them walk out.
The Wallingford bear quickly ran into the wood, but the second bear spent a little more time getting her feet underneath herself as she recovered from a tranquilizer.
In March, the bear was taken to a sanctuary in Lyme, N.H. run by Ben Kilham to be restored to health.
Hammond said Kilham had taken care of more than 20 bears this year. This week, five of those bears were released in Vermont, three in Reading, in Windsor County, on Monday, and two in Mount Holly on Wednesday.
“(The bears) let us know when they’re ready to go. They’re starting to pace the pen and the lot. They’re healthy. They’ve gained weight. It’s the normal time that their mother would usually be kicking them off because it’s mating season,” Hammond said.
Hammond praised Kilham as one of a small number of people who know how to rescue bears and rehabilitate them in a way that will allow them to return to the wild.
In the Mount Holly area where the bears were released, there are plenty of green plants they can eat, Hammond said.
However, Hammond said the bears may not stay in the area. The Wallingford bear may stick around because she is familiar with the area. Carey said the bear was being released less than 10 miles from where she was found.
The other bear is more likely to begin wandering around. Two years ago, Fish & Wildlife released three bears, which were tagged, and found that one ended up being harvested by a hunter in Canada, more than 100 miles away.
Carey said local people can help the bears released on Wednesday, and others like them, live longer lives by bringing in their bird feeders and trash.
“It’s going to be looking for the easiest food source and if we keep our trash and bird feeders inside, we’re going to reduce the conflicts that in a worst case scenario kill the bear because it associates our houses with food. We put ourselves in a dangerous situation when that happens,” he said.
patrick.mcardle @rutlandher
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