On June 6th, ABR admitted Bear #263, a yearling nicknamed Hawkins Bear because he was found in Hawkins County.  Hawkins Bear was hit by a car and was taken to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, where Dr. Morrison and her team examined the little bear.  He weighed 61 pounds, which is a satisfactory weight for a yearling bear.  They found no broken bones, but Hawkins had multiple scrapes and bruises.  He was given pain medication and drugs to counter any possible swelling of his brain.  Curator David took Hawkins back to ABR and placed him in an Acclimation Pen.  If he were younger and smaller he would go into the Cub Nursery or The Cub House, but as a recently dispersed yearling, living outdoors in the wild, that would definitely have caused him major stress.

Curator David and Hawkins Bear at UTCVM.

Dr. Morrison and her team exam Hawkins Bear.

Hawkins had suffered abrasions from the accident.

We are hopeful that Hawkins Bear will recover from his injuries.  He needs rest and  quiet, and he can get as much rest as he is willing to tolerate at ABR.  It’s not hard to understand that at present he is hurting and is no doubt confused about what happened.  There is stress caused by his capture, as well.  However, as we have seen many times before, bears are very resilient animals, so we’ll just wait and watch.  He will be left alone as much as possible