Rob Macmillan

Rob’s Rescues

These animals are at Cobb County Animal Services, waiting for homes.

This dog’s name is Becca. She is quite a hyper 11-month-old stray. She is a very loving and friendly dog. Becca would be a great dog for a family, with some training.

This cat’s name is Callie. She is 8 years old. She is a domestic short-haired cat and is super sweet. She is an ownersurrender, which doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I guess people have their reasons. Anyone would love this cat.

I interviewed Tori Reibel, education and communications coordinator of Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR), an organization dedicated to caring for orphaned and injured black bear cubs. www.appalachianbearrescue.org. This interview is the first of two parts.

How did ABR start?

ABR started in 1996, just outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), after a hard mast failure, in which there were no acorns, and bears were starving. The National Park Service, Wildlife Services and volunteers came together, and ABR grew from that. We have helped more than 360 bears to date – cubs and bears under 2 years old, per our permit. Currently, we have 13 at the rescue.

What was the first bear you rescued?

Zero Bear in 1996. He was a yearling that was starving and injured. He was successfully released back into the GSMNP.

Tori Reibel holds a baby bear at the Appalachian Bear Rescue facility.

How do you tell the difference between bears?

In our part of the world, we only have black bears. Physically, black bears also can be brown. The best way to differentiate between black bears and grizzlies is grizzly claws are longer and straight (to shovel and dig). Black bear claws are 1 to 2 inches long and are curved for climbing. Grizzly bears also have a very muscular hump on their shoulders.

How do you find the bears that come to ABR?

Mostly from calls from the public. People out hiking sometimes report cubs by themselves. Mom might be close by, so we monitor the situation for 24 to 48 hours before we deem help necessary. Mother bears are sometimes hit by cars, and the police will call us to help cubs on the roadway. We also take bears in from surrounding states that need help.

What is the usual age range of bears you help?

The typical age range is 3 weeks to 2 years. In hard mast failure years, a lot will be yearlings fending for themselves for the first time. If the food mast is good, we usually get more cubs.

What types of problems are bears facing?

In some cases, mother bears are poached, and we get lots of orphaned or abandoned bears. Most often, we deal with malnutrition and parasites, as well as injuries as a result of being hit by a car. One bear recently needed a blood transfusion. We worked with the University of Tennessee Vet College, and a bear from the Knoxville Zoo gave blood needed for the injured bear’s transfusion. We named him Summit.

Humans and trash create a huge problem for bears. Mother bears often will have to be euthanized because they get into trash and get aggressive. Her cubs then come to ABR.

Have you always wanted to help bears?

My dad works for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and I grew up loving wildlife. I enjoy outreach and educating people about wildlife, and I do a lot of ABR interviews. I also host educational programs about bears and coexistence.

What is an interesting thing about bears?

Bears have a really good sense of smell. Bears often are portrayed as slow-moving foragers, but they are very quick and can run at speeds of about 35 mph. They are fast climbers, too.