Black Bear Cub, Who Was Pulled from a Tree for a Selfie, Successfully Released Back into the Wild

Nicholas Rice
·2-min read

The animal was taken from the wild by a group of people in North Carolina in April

NCWRC The black bear cub.

NCWRC

The black bear cub.

A black bear cub that was pulled from a tree for a selfie in North Carolina earlier this year has been successfully released back into the wild.

Back in April, a group was caught pulling bear cubs from a tree to take photographs with them, as seen in footage shared at the time by ABC 11 affiliate WLOS. (A second cub was seen running away in the video but was never located.)

Now, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has set one of the animals free in an undisclosed and remote mountain area within the state, the organization said in a press release obtained by PEOPLE.

In a video shared online by the NCWRC, the small animal can be seen being released and running off frantically into the forest.

NCWRC The black bear cub being released into the wild.

NCWRC

The black bear cub being released into the wild.

Related: North Carolina Group Caught on Camera Pulling Black Bear Cubs from Tree to Get Selfie

After the group of people pulled the cub from a tree at an Asheville apartment complex earlier this year and then took photos of themselves holding it, the cub was rescued by NCWRC staff and taken to a rehabilitation facility.

After she was determined to be healthy and able to live in the wild successfully, the cub was given a tracking collar and identifying tags and marks to track her in the wild.

“The GPS collar data shows that she is adjusting well to life back in the wild,” NCWRC Bearwise Coordinator Ashley Hobbs said in a statement.

“Like most rehabilitated black bear cubs, we expect this cub to follow its instincts this winter and identify an appropriate location to den," she added. "Bear cubs are resilient animals, and it looks like this cub won’t be an exception."

Related: Tourist Mauled After Rolling Down Window to Take Selfie with Bear

According to NCWRC wildlife biologists, bear cubs should always be left alone — even when found on their own.

The organization advises the public to contact the NCWRC should they ever find a bear solo and to not handle it, catch it, remove it or feed it.

“People who try to capture or handle a cub are not only risking the cub’s safety but their own if the mother bear is nearby, as she may try to defend her cubs,” Game Mammals and Surveys Supervisor Colleen Olfenbuttel said. “By trying to capture a bear cub, you may cause it to become orphaned, injured or both.”

She added, “It’s imperative for the public to never feed a bear of any age. This will cause it to become habituated to people, and with cubs, it makes it more challenging for successful rehabilitation back into the wild."

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