Our new yearling female comes from the mountains of southern Kentucky, 30 miles from the Tennessee border—raised by a man who found her and a sibling trying to nurse on their dead mother who was killed by a truck. 
Bill and Bitsy Sloan wrote: "In trying to get the last grape she got under the cage mat and could not figure out how to get back. So she just folded it over and used it as a bed and is now having a little nap."He said the mother had been dead for 2-3 days. It was July 13, 2015. He caught the little 8.½ pound female, but her sibling escaped with little chance of survival. Eight and a half pounds is light for a 5- or 6-month-old cub. He took care of her and let her come and go as she wanted, but there was nowhere better she wanted to go. She remained mostly on his 50 acres, staying near the man and playing with his dog. She became the man’s companion. She slept with him at times, rode with him in his pickup, and took walks with him in the woods. He pulled ticks off her as she lay on her back as if he was her mother. The man, his dog, and the bear lived deep in the woods, using generators and solar power for electricity. Then, something happened that made him more protective of his ward. A big male came through and was too interested in the cub. Knowing males can kill cubs, the man ran him off and began locking the cub up at night. He continued to feed her through the winter, making her more advanced in development than might be typical for her age.
To bring her to her new home, Lily Fan volunteers Bill and Bitsy Sloan and Bill’s business partner Randy drove a thousand miles to Kentucky yesterday and are now within two hours of arriving at the Bear Center this evening. Then they have to drive back to Wisconsin and be at work tomorrow. Thank you all.
Reports from everyone are how sweet this bear is. I can’t wait to meet her. Excitement reigns. The bear is used to riding in a vehicle, so she was calm. The picture shows her sleeping. People here are ready to love this new bear like they love the others. We hope the new bear will love her new home. We’ll let her settle in and get to know her humans and the ambassador bears. It is customary to have a period of quarantine. We are working on the advice of veterinarians and doing everything possible to give the bear a good home.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center