It's heavy!
It’s always gratifying when one of “our” bear cubs is ready for release into its wild habitat. On July 30, 2010 a female yearling, that had been admitted in April, was ready to go home to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When she was found, she had weighed only 15 pounds and was wandering around a campground on the North Carolina side of the park. She was released in an area near the campground, but where there was plenty of good soft mast (berries and other fruits) so that she wouldn’t need to seek food in a human-active area. At realese, she weighed in at 74.5 pounds! Bears do have the ability to gain weight rapidly.
In the first photo, Kim Delozier, chief biologist for GSMNP, and Rick Varner, a wildlife tech for the park who works closely with ABR, are getting ready to unload the trap in which they transported the bear.
In the second photo, Kim opens the door. 
And in the last photo, our little bear makes her dash for freedom.
Back to the forest!
To see how the officers work up a bear, check out the post on this website, which shows Rick working up a bear at Mt. LeConte.