Could a caring police officer save two cubs?
Learning Objective: Children will discuss how a police officer and a bear rescue center saved two bear cubs.
Ring! A call came into the police station. Chief Bailey needed to come help right away! A mother bear was in the road with her five cubs. They were holding up traffic.
That was strange. Chief Bailey had gotten a lot of calls about bears in his time as a police officer. But he had never heard of bears holding up traffic.
The caller said the mother bear was very upset. Would Chief Bailey be able to help?
Traffic Jam
The momma bear held up traffic.
Chief Bailey arrived at the scene. He was shocked at what he saw!
A mama black bear was pacing in the road. Three of her cubs were following her back and forth.
But two of her cubs were not. They were smaller than the others. They were weak. They would walk a few steps and stop.
“The mom was trying to coax them along,” Chief Bailey says. She wanted the two weak cubs to come with her. But they were having a hard time.
Chief Bailey called bear experts. They decided to rescue the weakest cub right then. They would leave the other cub with its mom to see if it would get stronger over time.
Saving a Cub
Three of the cubs followed the momma bear.
Bears are dangerous.
“You should never approach a mom bear with her cubs,” Chief Bailey says. If you go near her, she could attack!
But Chief Bailey had worked with bears for many years. He knew a lot about them. Approaching the mom was risky, but she did not seem like she was about to attack.
Chief Bailey and another officer went up. The mama did not make a sound. She sat and watched.
“I believe that she wanted help,” he says.
He picked up the weaker cub in the palm of his hand. “It was like picking up a teddy bear!”
The cub was taken to the Kilham Bear Center to get better. Chief Bailey had saved it! But the story wasn’t over.
All Over Again
Chief Bailey
A few days later, another call came into the police station. The mother bear was holding up traffic again!
When Chief Bailey arrived, he saw the same thing all over again. The mom was in the road. She was waiting for the weakest cub to catch up. She would not leave it behind.
“She was being a good mom,” Chief Bailey says.
He scooped up this cub too. Once again, the mom just sat and watched.
“I think she had been staying so close to the road because she was looking for help,” he says.
This cub was also taken to the bear center. Would the two cubs make it?
Saved!
young black bears in the wild
At the bear center, Ben Kilham was ready to help.
“The cubs were in poor shape,” he says. “The mother had too many cubs, so she couldn’t feed all of them.”
It is rare for mother bears to have five cubs. Usually, mama bears have two or three cubs.
Kilham made sure the cubs had plenty of water and food to eat. Over time, they grew to be big and healthy!
The center kept them until they were 18 months old. That is when young bears in the wild leave their moms. They were then released into the woods. The two young bears ran off, wild and free.
It never could have happened without a kind police officer and the helpers at the rescue center. Luckily, they care for bears!
Caring for Cubs
What happens after cubs are rescued?
The cubs eat mush.
The cubs get warm.
A veterinarian, or animal doctor, sees the cubs.
The cubs play together.
More About the Article
English Language Arts Focus
Comprehension of a nonfiction narrative
Social Studies Focus
Community helpers
Science Focus
Animal needs
Implementation
Pairings and Text Connections
Before-Reading Resources
Suggested Reading Focus
Comprehension/text-to-self connections (20 minutes)
After-Reading Video Read-Aloud
After-Reading Skills Practice
