Jul 22, 2008 11:07 am US/Pacific
"Li'l Smokey" Fighting For Life At Care Center
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE (CBS13) ―
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Li'l Smokey is in critical condition, fighting for his life after being severely burned.
CBS
"Li'l Smokey," a black bear cub rescued by a firefighter, is fighting for his life in the hands of a South Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care Center. The eight-pound cub, badly burned in a California wildfire, is still in critical condition.
He sounds like a cub without a mother who is far from home. Li'l Smokey is suffering from third-degree burns, missing toes and padding on the bottom of his feet, and made heart-wrenching cries as vets worked to change his bandages.
The cub, rescued by firefighter Adam Deem from a the "Moon Fire" near Redding on Thursday, July 17, likely stepped on scorching ground, and may have been burned by the flames.
Everyday, veterinarian Kevin Willitts and workers at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care subdue the bear and apply new dressings for his burns. The cub is then put back into his cage with fresh food and milk.
Workers are constantly reminded that Li'l Smokey is a wild black bear. "It takes four of us to hold down an eight-and-a-half pound bear," said Tom Millham. "At this age, they are extremely strong and always dangerous with those claws and teeth."
Li'l Smokey doesn't seem to have much of an appetite, which could be caused by the antibiotic, according to a representative. They may try a different antibiotic to see if he will eat more. They also report that bear pulled off the bandage from one of his paws overnight.
They usually don't name the animals or spend much time with them at the wildlife care facility, in order to keep the animals prepared to be released back into the wild. They also have to consider putting down the animals if their injuries are too severe -- the bear cub is still in critical condition, and may not recover.
But the firefighter named this one Li'l Smokey, and now the helpers at Lake Tahoe Wildlife care are hoping the fire wasn't more than he could handle.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Official Website For Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care
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