Tiny bear with broken leg was starving before rescue in Smoky Mountains, photos show

When park rangers found a tiny, young bear in the Great Smoky Mountains, they decided to take him in for a medical examination.

The male yearling weighed only 13 pounds, but at about 13 months old, he should weigh at least 52 pounds, according to Appalachian Bear Rescue, a nonprofit organization based in Tennessee.

Following his exam at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, the rescued bear returned to Appalachian Bear Rescue for treatment, according to a Feb. 10 Facebook post. In honor of Valentine’s Day, he was given the name “Lovey Bear.”

Lovey Bear’s femur bone in his right leg is broken, rescuers say, and his teeth aren’t looking too good.

But what this starving, malnourished bear really needs is to put on some pounds, which would give him the best odds for healing.

“He’s been instructed to gain as much weight and drink as much water as possible to make surgery a little less risky,” rescuers said. “After the operation, he’ll have weeks of convalescence ahead of him, so this little guy is going to be with us for a while. He’s in pretty bad shape, but we’ll do our best for him.”

Lovey Bear was offered a bowl of yogurt — mixed with deworming medication and drugs to help with pain — but when he didn’t dig in, rescuers said they gave him some applesauce and sliced grapes instead.

The nonprofit organization said the yearling slept most of his first night while in his suite at The Recovery Center. The adjustable ceiling of his two-room suite has been lowered, preventing the hurt bear from trying to stand or climb.

He’s expected to head back to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine this week for surgery to fix his broken leg, hopefully after gaining some weight.

“We’ll do our best for Lovey,” rescuers said. “It’s hard for a wild black bear to endure this kind of confinement, but we’ve had good luck with bears in a similar situation. We hope our luck holds up.”

The organization said it does not know much about Lovey Bear’s time in the wild, but he was rescued from Maloney Point near Laurel Falls, part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Black bear cubs typically stay with their mom until they are about 18 months old, according to the National Park Service. Black bears in the Smokies are known to den in the winter, escaping frigid weather.

This story was originally published February 12, 2023 at 8:30 AM with the headline "Tiny bear with broken leg was starving before rescue in Smoky Mountains, photos show."