On November 15, a Black Bear sow was hit and killed by a car in Warren County, Virginia. A private citizen saw the sow's cub hanging around the area during the day and called animal control officials for help. The bear was able to be captured and admitted to the Wildlife Center later that same evening.
The small male cub was in good body condition, but was smaller than expected at this time of year, weighing in at 7.3 kg. Dr. Ernesto found a very heavy parasite load in the bear's feces; radiographs revealed abnormalities in the bear's lungs, indicating possible bacterial or parasitic pneumonia. At this point, the bear is not having difficulty breathing, though further observation is needed.
Dr. Ernesto started the cub on a course of anti-parasitic medication and antibiotics and placed the bear in the Center's Large Mammal Isolation enclosure. The bear will remain there until both treatments have ended; if the bear recovers from the pneumonia, he will be tagged and moved to the Black Bear Complex with the other 11 bear cubs.