Injured bear cub found at Mustang Fire has second-degree burns on all four paws

[IDemo]

Boise National Forest officials say a 25-pound black bear cub found at the Mustang Fire on Sunday night needs daily medical care for his burned paws to survive.

Firefighters were not able to locate the cub’s mother and say he was found all alone, clinging to a Douglas Fir tree, on a recently burned area of the fire near Wheat Creek, which is about 15 miles downriver from where the Middle Fork Salmon River and main Salmon River come together.

Officials say Boo Boo is no more than four months old and likely hadn’t eaten for about 4-to-5 days before he was found.

A veterinarian with Idaho Fish and Game examined Boo Boo Tuesday and determined he has second degree burns on all four of his paws. Boo Boo will need medicine and his bandages changed every day for a 4-to-6 week period to be able to recover.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/08/28/2247651/injured-bear-cub-found-at-mustang.html

[a geek named Bob]

1. Can we start a fund for this little guy?

[potone]

4. Poor little guy.

He must be so traumatized. Your idea is a good one, if they don't have the resources to help him. How about asking Steven Colbert to contribute?

[Care Acutely]

5. I would chip in. Poor little guy :-(

[MoonRiver]

6. I definitely want to help this baby.

[freshwest]

2. Poor baby. Glad there are some humans willing to help.

[warrior1]

3. Aww

I hope he does well.

[Terra Alta]

7. awwww....

Bless his heart.. I hope he makes it.

[alittlelark]

8. Sounds like Smokey the Bears story

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smokey_Bear


The living symbol of Smokey Bear was an American black bear cub who in the spring of 1950 was caught in the Capitan Gap fire, a wildfire that burned 17,000 acres (69 km2) in the Lincoln National Forest,[14] in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. Smokey had climbed a tree to escape the blaze, but his paws and hind legs had been burned. According to some stories, he was rescued by a game warden after the fire, but according to the New Mexico State Forestry Division, it was actually a group of soldiers from Fort Bliss, Texas, who had come to help fight the fire, that discovered the bear cub and brought him back to the camp.[15]

[Brother Buzz]

11. Oh, Snap!

[ET Awful]

13. Exactly my thoughts.

I just called my gf in to tell her there was a real life Smokey Bear on the screen.

Poor little guy.

[intheflow]

14. That was my first thought - he should become the next living Smokey.

He's too young to be released back into the wild, he could have a very comfortable life at the National Zoo.

[sabrina 1]

9. Poor little baby! I'm glad he got bandages on his poor sore paws.

[Brother Buzz]

10. Smokey Bear got his start this way

We can do better with Boo Boo than we did with Smokey Bear by interning him at the National Zoo.

[joeybee12]

12. Speedy recovery, Boo Boo!