In mid-June, Precious Little Miracle joined the residents at ABR. Again, Miracle was probably orphaned soon after exiting the den with his mother, but he did not fare well on his own. After months of trying to survive alone, Miracle was captured by Arkansas officers and transported to ABR. Miracle weighed only 5 pounds and was severely malnourished and dehydrated. He also had an infection in his right eye which rendered it swollen and closed…he must have been terrified all alone and in such poor condition. As soon as he arrived at ABR, he was put in “solitary confinement” so plenty of specialized care could be offered to him. He was given antibiotics to treat the infected eye and many food and liquid supplements to nourish his tiny body. Miracle responded well to the medicine and food and he soon started gaining weight. He also responded very well to his friend, “Buddy Bear” (a stuffed bear much larger than himself)!! He treated Buddy Bear like a sibling and was comforted by the companionship. Miracle was much too small to meet Rocky and Beau, but if time would heal all of Miracle’s problems, he would soon meet the other cubs and go home to Arkansas with Rocky. By the end of June, Miracle had doubled his weight…he weighed 12.6 pounds and was eating everything that was offered to him. Months have passed and the cubs have grown healthy and have honed their bear skills by observing much larger yearling’s on site (three yearling’s from Georgia that have been at ABR since April, 2006). Rocky, Beau and Miracle reside in one half of ABR’s bear enclosure while the larger Georgia yearling’s reside in the other half. The cubs vocalize with the large yearling’s and watch carefully to mimic the actions of the yearling’s (climbing trees, swimming, running and roughhousing). The cubs now weigh from 60 to 75 pounds and spend their days lounging in the trees and their nights eating and playing bear games. The cubs will be released in their respective states by the end of November. ABR is grateful for the support it receives from its sponsors, members and friends. With that continued support, ABR will enjoy sharing many bear success stories, extend its educational outreach and continue to “give bears a second chance!”