On April 26, 2021, ABR admitted Cub #335! A 3-month-old male cub from Kentucky; he is nicknamed Barley Bear. After the usual visit to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine for his intake exam, he was taken to The Cub Nursery to bunk in the pen next to Hops Bear. He is healthy and weighs about 5 pounds, so he’s about the same size as Hops. If all goes well for the next few days, the curators plan to introduce Barley and Hops. There is no doubt that Hops will be very happy to have another little bear who, unlike his stuffed bears, will wrestle with him! We don’t know how this little cub lost his mother or why he became an orphan, but we are glad to accept another KY bear.

If you are very perceptive, you may have noticed that Barley is #335, though Hops is #333. If so, you may wonder what happened to the number 334. Sadly, #334 was a little female cub who was found in Sevier County, TN on April 18. The man who found her reported to TWRA as well as ABR, and a TWRA officer picked her up and took her to UT. Upon examination, they found that the little cub had a puncture wound and couldn’t move her back legs. An X-ray didn’t show any breakage, so she spent the night in the ICU. The next morning, she was re-examined by specialists who determined that the little cub would never be able to regain movement below her waist and the decision was made to humanely euthanize her. Even though she never actually came to our facility, she counts as an ABR cub and was nicknamed Fiorina. It is always hard to accept the loss of a cub who had such a short life – not quite three months. But we are glad that she had care in her last hours, and didn’t suffer and die alone. Rest in Peace, Fiorina Bear.

Now that ABR has two cubs in The Cub Nursery, it will be interesting to watch them interact and play together. Come back to see what happens.