Man saved bear cub, but decision carried risks

The bear cub was emaciated, soaking wet and barely breathing, its stuffed-animal-sized body lying face up in a meadow. It would almost certainly die within minutes.

As Corey Hancock stood over the cub on a remote trail near Oregon’s Santiam River Monday evening, the 41-year-old father didn’t see a bear — he saw a baby in distress.

Hancock could watch the cub die in the rain, or he could scoop the animal up, risking the wrath of a raging mother.

“I thought about my 2-year-old son, and I saw a baby that deserved to live,” Hancock said. “If I would’ve walked away from that bear, it would’ve haunted me the rest of my life.”

After 10 minutes of waiting for any sign of the mother, Hancock wrapped the cub in his flannel shirt and a rainproof sack and ran the mile-and-a-half to the trailhead, where his car was parked. He rushed the cub to the Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center in Hancock’s hometown of Salem, performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation along the way.

Once at the center, the bear was placed on a heating pad and given electrolyte fluids. The next morning it was turned over the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Hancock’s story was shared widely on social media, where it provoked strong reactions. Most people praised Hancock, with some called him “a hero,” but he also incurred a backlash from those who thought he should have stayed out of nature’s way. Some pointed out that he likely consigned the animal to a life of captivity.

Sylvia Dolson, executive director of the Get Bear Smart Society, said she didn’t think Hancock overstepped his bounds.

“The rescuer, in this case, did the only thing any caring person should do,” she said. But that doesn’t mean people who discover bear cubs in the wild need to rescue them, she cautioned.

“Some mothers may leave their cubs unattended in a tree for several hours while they go to find food,” she said. “The cubs are safe in the tree.”

Veterinary staff diagnosed the bear with mild pneumonia. On Friday, the cub was transported to PAWS Wildlife Center in Lynwood, Washington, which offers care “designed to allow young bears to develop without habituating to humans so they can be returned to Oregon for release into the wild.”