Arizona Wildlife Experts Left ‘Stumped’ by ‘Abnormally Tiny’ Bear Cub
The 15-pound bear cub should weigh around 70 pounds at his age
Wildlife experts have been perplexed by the unexpected discovery of an unusually small bear cub, which was rescued from a residential neighborhood in Arizona and subsequently taken to a wildlife refuge.
On Tuesday, Bearizona Wildlife Park took to Facebook to share photos of Buddy the bear cub. The park expressed their delight in having him there, but also expressed their confusion surrounding his presence.
Mark Hart, a spokesman for the Arizona Game and Fish, expressed his skepticism about the weight of the bear. According to him, a bear weighing 15 pounds should be around four or five months old. He stated, “The math doesn’t work.” This statement was made during a discussion with Bearizona Wildlife Park.
According to Dave O’Connell, the chief operating officer of Bearizona Wildlife Park, bear cubs in the United States are typically born in January or February. As a result, this adorable little cub should weigh around 70 pounds by now. O’Connell shared this information in a Facebook post.
Experts were also perplexed by the remarkable journey of Buddy, not only because of his small size but also because they were amazed at how he was able to navigate his way from the mountains to a residential area in Tucson.
According to Hart, the chances of the bear cub surviving on its own and successfully traversing the Catalina Mountains without falling prey to a predator were extremely slim, even if its mother had abandoned it or if it had been orphaned.
According to O’Connell, Buddy showed an exceptional level of comfort around humans.
In a recent post, he speculated about the possibility of someone illegally feeding the cub for an extended period of time, which could potentially explain the cub’s unusual comfort around humans. This theory may also shed light on why the cub is smaller than expected.
The park expressed gratitude for the “Christmas miracle” but emphasized the importance of not feeding bears under any circumstances. Unfortunately, in previous instances where bears became accustomed to human presence, they had to be euthanized.
The cub at the wildlife park was affectionately named Buddy. The decision came from Bearizona owner Sean Casey, who jokingly referred to the cub as an elf due to its unusually small size during the Christmas season.
An employee suggested naming him Buddy, referring to the beloved holiday film “Elf” starring Will Ferrell.
On Friday, the Bearizona staff had scheduled the introduction of Buddy to the public in his newly designated quarantine area.
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