Bear Cub With Burned Feet Rescued From Colorado Fire

An orphaned bear cub will eventually return to the wild after her feet were burned in a Colorado wildfire.

Firefighters noticed the young bear wandering alone through a burned area, and after a couple of days when they didn’t see a mother bear nearby, the firefighters called Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The bear was taken in after being tranquilized. 

“When the bear was brought in I wasn’t sure if it was going to make it,” said Michael Sirochman, manager of the Frisco Creek facility.

The bear hadn’t eaten in days, but they wanted to give her a chance. Thankfully, she appeared to be in good health despite her burned feet.  
With the advice of a veterinarian, Sirochman applied a medicinal salve dressing to the bear’s feet, which aids in healing the burned tissue, and then wrapped them in multiple layers of gauze and medical bandages. The dressing is changed every two days.

After every treatment the bear is injected with antibiotics to prevent infection and given a small dose of pain medication.

The bear is being fed a liquid milk replacement that imitates the milk of a sow. It’s also receiving solid food.

They hope to return the bear to the wild in the winter.

“We have good luck returning young bears to the wild,” Sirochman said.

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