At about 10:00 p.m. on July 27, Dr. Ernesto received a call on the after-hours emergency phone about a bear cub that had been hit by a vehicle in Crozet, Virginia. The cub had been crossing the road with her mother, who was hit and killed by a vehicle. The local animal control officer was planning on bringing the cub to the Wildlife Center, but unfortunately, three hours later Dr. Ernesto learned that the cub managed to evade capture and climbed a tree for the night. The animal control officers decided to check on the bear the next morning.
At about 7:00 a.m. on July 28, the animal control officers found that the injured cub had fallen out of a tree during the night. The bear was quickly transported to the Wildlife Center, where Dr. Ernesto and Dr. Peach began examining the cub and administering emergency treatment.
The vets found that the cub was bleeding from her nose and mouth, had multiple skull fractures, an injured right hind limb, a swollen right front leg, and trauma to her chest. Drs. Ernesto and Peach were able to see lung bruising on radiographs, and an ultrasound revealed fluid in the bear's abdomen. The vets provided fluids, oxygen therapy, pain medication, and sedation for the gravely injured cub. The wound on the bear's foot was cleaned and sutured.
The bear was placed in a zinger crate in the Center's holding room to rest. Dr. Ernesto improvised a critical care set-up for the bear which delivered oxygen through a nasal canula. The bear is also receiving intravenous fluids (with a sedative and pain medication). The bear cub survived the night, though her condition remains grave.