The Neontals (Part 1) - Lessons Learned

* Disclaimer - the hand feeding of black bears destined to be returned to the wild is NOT a recommended or standard procedure. The "neonatals" in the following stories were waiting to be fostered out and cared for by a wild female bears once they were located. The human interaction (bottle feeding) was necessary until suitable fosters moms were found.

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It was day 13 when the call we were hoping for came in.

"We found a suitable mother. Have the cub ready first thing in morning."

The news was met with mixed emotions.

Actual den tree of a black bear.

The past few weeks were a whirlwind of activity. On January 23rd, 1999, we received an unexpected call from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission regarding an unfortunate logging accident that occurred on the rural eastern coastal plains near Newbern, NC. The day before, while cutting timber not far from the coast, a logger was caught by surprise when the tree he felled revealed a freshly awoken "momma" bear and her three very recently-born cubs. The event was undoubtedly a complete shock to the bear's system.

She took off running.

Although female bears are noted for their strong motherly instinct, their self-preservation instinct is programmed to override all other instincts as a last resort. As a result, when her world, her comfy-cozy winter den, came tumbling down, her one and only thought was to get away. And get away she did.

And there they were.

Three scantily haired black bear cubs. Eyes closed. Completely unaware of what was going on around them.

The cubs were left without a mom due to a logging accident.

(Note: Do not attempt to rescue baby animals.

Always contact wildlife professionals first.)

Each one weighed less than a pound and a half (~640 grams). And now, their sole comfort, their one and only source of protection and nourishment, was heading for the hills and not looking back.

In a valiant but fruitless effort, the logger tried everything in his power to reunite the mom with her cubs. Much to his credit, he left the neonatals in the downed tree den and vacated the area in hopes that she would return.

Alas... She did not.

Knowing the dire situation with newborns and their constant and high demand for nourishment, the cubs were retrieved and frantic calls began to be made. The following day the North Carolina wildlife authorities contacted the bear center and requested their services. It would still be a while before all the arrangements could be made and on January 29th, the neonatal's arrived. "Newbern," "Caro," and " Lina" had found their way to the Appalachian Bear Center (ABR).

The North Carolina neonatal cubs. (Photo courtesy of ABR)

As scared as those three tiny bears may have been, I promise you, there was a "Papa bear" who was even more scared than them.

Although I had cared for a few dozen cubs over the last two years, all of them had been weaned (off mom's milk) and the hands-off care techniques were fully in place. How in the world were we going to care for neonatal cubs that needed to be bottle-fed every 4 to 5 hours without imprinting on them? Better yet...where were we going to care for these cubs? If you recall, the bear center consisted of an outdoor enclosure (designed to hold larger cubs), a roughed-in storage shed, and a curator's residence/office (trailer).

There was only one real option. Oh well, we really didn't need that spare bedroom anyway.

And so it began...'round the clock feedings of tiny little black bear cubs that literally fit in the palm of your hand.

It was surreal.

Who in their right mind would ever believe they would actually get the opportunity to do this? I have no doubt many dream of it, but few ever have the opportunity for a dream like this to come true.

It was everything and nothing like I ever imagined.

I remember one morning pinching myself to make sure I wasn't still asleep. There I was, lying in bed, waiting to get up to feed three black bears that were fast asleep on the bed in the back room. In fact, I couldn't wait to feed them.

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There were a few things about this experience that were absolutely remarkable.

Without a doubt, remarkable trait number one that separates neonatal bears from other similarly-shaped animals such as puppies, are the claws. Or should I say, the razors.

Twenty tiny claws ready for action. (Photo courtesy of ABR)

Yes...there were twenty of them.

All moving independently.

Undoubtedly without malice...

...but undoubtedly my arms couldn't tell.

As you could imagine the local bookstore was fresh out of "What To Expect When Your Expecting - Ursus Style".

I could already read it in my mind's eye.

Chapter One - The DO's and DON'Ts of Feeding Neonatal Black Bear Cubs

Rule #1 - DON'T Place them on your bare arm while feeding them.

Rule #2 - DO realize how stupid you are if you place them on your bare arm while feeding them.

End of chapter one.

You see, it didn't take long for me to realize that once the cub latches onto the nipple of the bottle, all four appendages become mini razor rakes. If said cub is straddling your bare forearm, let's just say you'll be wearing long sleeve shirts in public for quite some time to avoid the many questions and strange gawks you are bound to attract.

WARNING! Bio Break (sorry, it's the biologist in me!) - In all actuality, the cub is instinctively programmed to begin this kneading motion as if he's treading water whenever he begins to feed. Remember, the cub is typically lying on the chest of its mother and this kneading action stimulates more milk to descend while he's feeding. In other words, it's meant to keep the mom's milk flowing.

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This leads to remarkable trait number two.

The Suck.

Omgosh...REALLY???

I had to remind myself to keep their lips pointed in a safe direction.

(Photo courtesy of ABR)

Does an animal really need the suction power to literally hang from a man's finger using only its lips???

Had I known about this trait prior to naming the cubs I have no doubt we would've been caring for "Hoover," "Bissel" and "Shark".

And needless to say, if you think razor-like scratches draw attention from onlookers...think about hickeys in some really awkward locations!

And for the record, "I'm caring for some really tiny bear cubs...I swear!" simply doesn't cut it as a legitimate excuse. Go figure.

WARNING! Bio Break #2 - Again, that suction is a biological adaptation. The cubs are born in mid-winter in a darkened den with eyes closed. They have very fine hair and little, if any, motor skills. In other words they are pretty darn helpless. Immediately upon birth that cub has one mission. Find a nipple and latch on. If your only means for warmth and food is your ability to hang on with your lips you can sure as heck bet they're going to have some powerful suckers.

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Last but not least remarkable trait #3.

As most of you know, caring for newborns is pretty simple...theoretically of course.

On paper, you put things in (food)... and you make sure things come out (what used to be food). Well, in the wild, momma bear sometimes has to assist the cub with the latter part. She does this by licking them which in-turn stimulates the cub to defecate.

Well...the line had to be drawn somewhere.

You have no idea how relieved I was when Dr. Ramsey suggested using a warn washcloth to mimic a bear's tongue. Thank goodness too because I don't think I would ever be able to explain that one if ever I was asked!

So picture if you will, almost two full weeks of trial and error, 'round-the-clock bear feeding. It was the most insanely nerve-wracking joyous painful heart-warming stressful wonderful dream I ever had.

Non-stop attention...a blessing and a curse. To be explained later.

(Photo courtesy of ABR)

...and then it was interrupted by the phone call I was so desperately hoping for.

(To be continued...)

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Author's Note: In case you haven't noticed, I absolutely love working in the wildlife field and try to lighten the mood and have fun at every turn. Although we sometimes deal in some serious situations, if you can't smile and laugh and enjoy what you do, step aside for I'm sure someone is waiting in the wings to take your place.