PAWS Connections
Rich Beausoleil and Peter Gros look on as the rehabilitated black bears return to their natural habitat after months of care at PAWS. Photo courtesy of Mutal of Omaha’s Wild Kindom.
Burned Bear Brothers Return to the Wild
L
ast summer, a devastating wildfire swept through the lush forests surrounding Chelan, Washington, destroying over 22,000 acres, killing and injuring an untold numbers of animals. In the aftermath of the blaze, local property owners, Dave and Karen Case, spotted two bear cubs on their wildlife camera scrounging for any uncharred scraps of food. Prior to the fire, the cubs often appeared with their mother. Now they were alone and moving in pain with severe burns covering their paws. Rich Beausoleil, a bear and cougar specialist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, was called in to capture the cubs so they could be treated for injuries by the PAWS wildlife team. Nine months later, after undergoing a regimen of specialized burn care and denning at the PAWS facility, the bears were ready to return to the wild. Rich helped again, although this time around he’d be joined by Peter Gros, the host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. Peter and his team have been following the story of the bear brothers closely, — CONTINUED INSIDE
The PAWS wildlife team records biometric data from a sedated black bear before beginning the journey to the release site.
Please deliver to a friend of animals at this address. 15305 44th Ave W PO Box 1037 Lynnwood, WA 98046 paws.org
Non-profit Org U.S. Postage Paid PAWS