The newest arrival at ABR is the tiny (3.5 pound) cub from Kentucky. She arrived on April 26th, and went to the UTCVM for her intake exam on the next day.
She is by far the smallest bear currently at ABR.
A congenital umbilical hernia would have been a certain death warrant in the wild. As strange as it seems, losing her mother and siblings, which resulted in her coming to ABR, saved her life.
Surrounded by the gloved hands of vets, we can see how tiny she really is.
She has an eye exam.
Her baby teeth are checked. It is possible that she is a couple of weeks younger than Thumper and Flapjack Bear, our other two COYs.
She was sedated for surgery. The vets avoided sedation as long as possible due to her size.
She was given a thorough examination.
Doodlebug gives her opinion of the procedure so far.
Her tummy was shaved for the surgery.
Five professionals surround the wee little cub during surgery. It was successful!
Back in The Cub Nursery, Doodlebug slept inside one of her Cub Caves.
Upon waking, the little cub set off to explore her territory.
She climbed the slope of the Cub Cave.
Soon she reached the summit! A big achievement!
She is so light that the Cub Cave supports her weight without collapsing!
Here is the new Operations Director for ABR, accepting Bear #374, Doodlebug, in Kentucky. His first day on the job and he had to hit the ground running!