On the night of December 20, police officers in Chesterfield County found a yearling bear on the side of the road. It appeared as though the young bear had been hit by a vehicle. The police called the Richmond Zoo, and several Zoo personnel responded to the scene, including zoo vet Dr. Cheryl Antonucci. Dr. Antonucci sedated the bear and performed a quick physical examination before she transported the bear to the Wildlife Center. The male yearling arrived at 1:00 a.m. on the morning of December 21.
Dr. Dana, diagnostic intern Julia, and vet student Cyrus came in to the Center to admit the bear and perform an examination. The bear was still fairly sedated upon arrival, and Dr. Dana administered another small dose of a sedative to ensure that the bear was fully asleep during the physical exam. She found blood in the bear’s nose, several burst blood vessels in the bear’s eyes, and several lacerations on the bear’s limbs. Dr. Dana was able to palpate a femoral fracture of the right hindlimb; radiographs were taken to get a better picture of the fracture. After the examination, the bear was settled into a secure enclosure in the Center’s holding room for the rest of the night.
The bear was taken to surgery on the afternoon of December 21 to repair the femoral fracture, Drs. Rich and Dana performed the surgery. Post-surgery, the bear will be housed in the Center’s bear pen facility.
As of 5:30 p.m., Drs. Rich and Dana were still in surgery with the bear. One pin had been placed to stabilize the fracture, and a small amount of cerclage wire was wrapped around the two ends of the fractured bone. The vets will place a second pin in the bear's leg prior to closing.