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This guy did the right thing. Twice.  A website called the dodo explains he was hiking a trail near his home.  In neighboring Washington State.  He came across a crying bear cub.  The man ignored the animal.  Because he knows that in many cases Mom is away foraging and will return.

The next day he was on the trail and once more heard the cub crying.  It was trapped under a branch.  The hiker freed the little guy and then the cub followed him home.  He realized he couldn’t keep the bear.  He called his state’s wildlife department and also found an animal rescue that could look after the cub.  The little guy has been paired with a second cub and appears happy.  The website explains in a year the animal could be released.

You may remember a story from Yellowstone a couple of years ago.  Some German tourists came across a bison calf.  They loaded the animal into an SUV and drove it to a park office.  The animal was later destroyed.  Adult animals will often reject children who’ve been exposed to human beings.  Just because you see an animal alone, it doesn’t mean the animal is lost.  Your attempt to “rescue” an animal could backfire.

I’m not going to call these people dummies or tourons.  They generally mean well and the tiny animals tug at our heartstrings.

I had the benefit of growing up in a state park.  I learned these things when I was young.  My parents often repeated the warnings.  We once had a loon recover from a wound in our garage.  We were barred from getting anywhere near the bird.  It eventually healed and took flight.

The advice takes repeating.

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