Oregon hiker could face charges for taking 'malnourished' bear cub to wildlife center
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Animal officials in Oregon are reminding the public to leave wildlife alone after a hiker who discovered a bear cub in distress took the animal to a wildlife center.
On Monday evening, Salem resident Corey Hancock, who could face charges for his actions, was hiking the Santiam River Trail outside the city when he came across the 3-month-old cub about 2 miles down the trail, he told ABC News today.
Hancock, who said he has been hiking the trail for more than 20 years, described the bear as "motionless" when he found it.
"I thought he was dead," he said. "He did kind of twitch a couple times, so I knew he was dying or going through the motions of death when I found him."
Hancock said he moved back about 50 yards, in case the bear's mother turned up, and watched the cub. When the it didn't move for about 10 minutes, Hancock said, he decided to take out his flannel and "wrap [the bear] up and make a run for it."
Hancock said he then raced back to his car and drove toward Salem. When he got back in cellphone service range, he posted a photo to Facebook asking for help.
"If I hadn't been out on the trails in the rain today, this little boy would be dead," Hancock captioned the pic. "I'm so completely thankful for today."
Hancock then took the cub, which he affectionately named Elkhorn because he found it on Elkhorn Road, to the Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center in Oregon, on the recommendation of someone on social media, he said. The center described the cub as "malnourished" and "lethargic" when it came in.
Elkhorn's condition significantly improved over 12 hours, the center said, and the cub has since been transferred to a wildlife veterinarian with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for a full health exam.
The center recommends calling wildlife officials if people encounter an animal that they believe may need help, but it thanked Hancock for his efforts in saving the cub.
"This was an uncommon situation, and we appreciate Corey for trusting us with the distressed cub's care," the center wrote on Facebook. "We are also grateful to our amazing community of supporters whose generosity ensures Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center is here to help in emergency situations such as this."
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