One October ABR received a call from a local Park ranger. He told us that he was assisting the State of Tennessee in capturing two bear cubs. The cubs were on the edge of Gatlinburg and their mother had not been seen with them for several days. It was feared that she had been killed during the legal bear hunt that had just concluded. It was also feared that if the cubs were not moved soon they would become nuisance bears. The first cub was captured and brought to ABC on October 5th. Upon arrival at the Center, a basic physical on the cub, later nicknamed ‘Hickory’, revealed a weight of 40 pounds! It is possible to release cubs at 50 pounds so this one was obviously very healthy. He was placed in one of our pens while the State and the Park Service went back to try and catch his sibling. Six days later Hickory’s brother was caught. This 2nd cub weighed 47 pounds so the decision was made to release them together. Both bears were tatooed and successfully released in the Tellico Wildlife Management Area where they are assured a healthy home far away from humans and related hazards.