Video: Oregon Man Rescues Bear Cub, Gives it CPR and Was Not Cited; Right or Wrong?
OutdoorHub Reporters 04.03.17
What would you do if you found yourself in this situation?
A man in Oregon, Corey Hancock, was out taking photos of waterfalls near the North Fork of the Santiam River, when he came across a bear cub that appeared to be in pretty bad shape.
“He looked dead. His eyes were grey, he was laying there on his back with his paws out,” Hancock said.
Hancock quickly weighed out his options, knowing he was in a race against time. Hancock reportedly waited 10 minutes to make sure a momma bear wasn’t around, then scooped up the bear and rushed to Salem Wildlife Center, giving the 5-pound cub CPR along the way.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says it’s illegal to take wildlife out of their habitat, punishable by a citation and possibly a fine.
After a night of fluids and a warm blanket, the bear recovered and is doing well, but now, Hancock is dealing with a bit of backlash from some folks.
He was not issued a citation for the matter as Sgt. James Halsey with OSP said, “Due to the totality of the circumstances, to include that the adult male subject thought he was helping the bear cub without knowledge that the mother bear may have been nearby, a criminal citation was not issued.”
Now, we hear reminders from experts all the time to never interfere with nature, especially when it involves a bear cub, so we’re asking what would you have done, and do think Hancock made the right decision?
