On April 11, homeowners in Rappahannock County noticed a small Black Bear yearling hanging around their property. The yearling was quite small and appeared to be in poor condition. When the yearling was spotted again on Saturday, April 13, the homeowners called the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. A biologist responded to the scene. The yearling was very underweight, but managed to climb a tree to evade capture; the biologist darted the bear out of the tree and transported it to the Wildlife Center.
Dr. Dana Tedesco, the Center’s veterinary intern, examined the male yearling upon arrival. The bear was very thin, very dehydrated, and appeared to have mange. Dr. Dana anesthetized the bear and performed a physical examination, blood work, and radiographs. Radiographs revealed slightly distended intestines; Dr. Dana further investigated by performing a an abdominal ultrasound and noted a distended gallbladder. The bear had many ticks, and Dr. Dana noted hair loss and crusty skin over the bear’s muzzle, neck, abdomen, and thighs. A skin-scraping was performed to look for mange-causing mites, but none was found. Despite the lack of mites on the skin-scraping, the lesions strongly looked and smelled like mange, so Dr. Dana injected the bear with ivermectin, an anti-parasitic medication. A dermatophyte test medium (DTM) was also set-up; this diagnostic test specifically cultures for the ringworm fungus.
In addition, Dr. Dana also noted that the bear’s tongue had the appearance of a “Turkish towel”; that is, the tongue was shriveled and rough in appearance. The bear’s tongue also had an accumulation of white plaque, likely due to the severe dehydration. Dr. Dana administered subcutaneous fluids to the bear while it was sedated. Once all treatments were administered, the team set the bear up in a sturdy enclosure in the Center’s holding room. The bear weighed in at 11.90 kgs.
The following day the bear was quiet, yet alert. While the bear has not yet shown an interest in food, he has been very thirsty. The team will soon move the yearling to Bear Pen 3, in the Center’s outdoor bear pen enclosure. The bear will likely require additional treatments for mange in the weeks to come.
Bear in the News:
"Williamsburg Doctors Fix Teeth of Black Bear", The Virginia Gazette