Alarming Video Shows Group Picking Up Wild Bear Cubs to Take Selfies
"We do think that the bear probably had a pretty traumatic experience."
It's that time of year again. Spring has sprung, the birds are chirping, and humans are exhibiting dangerous and irresponsible behavior around wildlife. But instead of one of the country's national parks, the latest incident took place near a North Carolina apartment complex, in which a group of people pulled a trio of black bear cubs out of a tree to take selfies with them.
The shocking behavior was filmed in Asheville, NC by a witness, who caught video of about a half dozen people pulling the three tiny cubs from a tree behind a fence and then excitedly holding and taking photos. "I don't know what to do," one of the women filming could be heard saying. "What an idiot. She's holding the bear."
Near the end of the video, a woman holding one of the cubs appears to drop it on the ground and it runs frantically, not being able to get back to the safety of the tree on the other side of the fence. At this point, the bystanders begin yelling at the group to put the terrified cub back.
WOW: A disturbing scene was caught on camera as a group of people were seen pulling bear cubs out of a tree all for a few selfies. https://t.co/qei3celsIY
— FoxNashville (@FOXNashville) April 18, 2024
Video Credit: Rachel Staudt pic.twitter.com/NTdyJ52f0S
Authorities were called to intervene, but when employees from North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission arrived at the scene, only one bear cub was remaining. Ashley Hobbs, special projects biologist for the agency, told Asheville's ABC 13 News said that they found the cub "very wet and cold" and that it appeared to have been alone for quite some time.
Hobbs said that it’s not uncommon for a female black bears to drop their cubs off in a safe place such as tree around this time of year and later come back for them. She noted that it would have been traumatic for a cub to be pulled from a tree in that manner.
“We did see the video in response to the bear being left alone," Hobbs explained. "We do think that the bear probably had a pretty traumatic experience."
Hobbs said that they were able to locate the group that pulled the cubs from the tree. "We did confront them on site that day and let them know how irresponsible and potentially deadly it could be for that cub to be separated from its mom, especially ripped out of a tree like that," she continued.
The bear cub was thankfully unharmed, and was taken to a rehab facility where it will be treated and eventually be released back into the wild. It's currently unclear whether authorities are planning to press charges against the group to took the photos, but it should serve as a cautionary tale that as always, humans should always keep their distance when encountering bears in the wild.