Easter always makes us remember ABR bear #134, nicknamed Easter Bear for the fact that she was rescued on Easter weekend, back in 2011. She weighed just 3.5 pounds and was three months old. In addition to her very low weight, the little cub suffered from starvation, dehydration, and hypothermia, which can be fatal to a bear cub. To add to her problems, her right eye had almost disappeared into its socket, as a result of the dehydration. She wasn’t expected to survive, but the tiny cub had a strong will to live. Antibiotics, eye drops, and very careful feeding brought her back from the brink of death, only to reveal another problem, neurological damage, caused by the starvation and dehydration. She began to run in tight circles, a sign of possible brain damage.After many days of observation and consultation with the veterinarians at the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, it was determined that the behavior was a response to stress. We were relieved when it finally stopped, and Easter was introduced to other rescued cubs on the premises. This was the famine year of 2011–2012, so there were plenty of other cubs at ABR.Unfortunately, her eye couldn’t be saved, but she would have her one good eye and the rest of her keen bear senses on which to rely. Easter Bear thrived, and on November 7, 2011, she was released weighing a healthy 82 pounds!There are two videos of this special cub. The first one is when she had just been admitted and shows her exploring her nursery. This was the famine year of 2011–2012, so there were other cubs onsite. We have two videos to share. The first is a few days after she arrived, and she was exploring her nursery. To see it, click here.   

The second one is an overview of her stay at ABR. Click here to watch