Easter Cub
Easter arrived a little early, on Friday April 22, in the form of a tiny, dehydrated cub. Here is what our curator, Lisa said about her:
Our “triplets” are outside…their first night out was last night and it was a great success. Just in time…this morning, Bill Stiver (wildlife biologist for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park) admitted this beautiful little cub, but she is severely dehydrated and malnourished…she is going to need much attention to help her overcome the ill effects of her condition. She weighs 3.8 pounds and her eyes are deep-set due to severe dehydration. Mike (Lisa’s husband) transported her to the hospital soon after her arrival. My veterinarian, Dr. Megan Jones, Mike and vet staff administered fluids at the hospital and she will need antibiotics for her eyes which we will obtain later today (we believe her eyes can be salvaged, though Bill Stiver feared she was already blind…hopefully, her sight will be regained in full once the fluids/nourishment work their magic). For now, I have her stabilized on heat and am giving her fluids and nourishment every 30 minutes from a 3cc syringe. She is comfortable and is not “running in circles” as she was when Bill found her (due to her electrolyte imbalance). She will be a big project for us for a few weeks until she can overcome her setbacks and meet Bobby and his clan.
We are waiting for the complete story about this little one, and will post it as soon as we have the information. For now, though, here is a photo that Mike took while the cub was at the vet’s.