On April 9th, bear #372 was rescued and brought to ABR. This is the first actual cub (cub-of-the-year, or COY) of 2023, although the recent yearling arrivals were the size of cubs. This little cub is a male who was wandering in Elizabethton, TN. The TWRA wildlife biologist, Janelle Musser, had rescued the little cub and Curator Reagan and Exec, Director Dana Dodd met her to receive the tiny bear. It was midnight by the time they got back to ABR.

The good news is that, even though he is only about 10 weeks old, he is able to lap the bear replacement formula out of a bowl, thus bypassing the need to bottle feed him. He is nicknamed Thumper Bear, and is currently housed in The Cub Nursery.

Thumper Bear weighs just 4.6 pounds.