A group of people in North Carolina spotted two bear cubs and saw their chance to take some original photos. A bystander was able to capture the incident on camera and distributed the images. An investigation into the matter is underway.
The incident took place in Asheville, North Carolina on the edge of an apartment complex. The images show a woman posing with a cub in her hands. Meanwhile, the rest of the group tries to bring another young bear from a tree to the other side of the fence. At one point the woman drops the bear cub and runs after it.
A resident of the apartment complex called the police to intervene. A North Carolina Wildlife Commission biologist arrived on scene and said only one cub was visible when she arrived. The cub felt wet and cold, but was otherwise taken to a rehabilitation center unharmed. “We confronted people with their irresponsible behavior and told them how potentially fatal it is for a young one to be separated from its mother. Especially when it’s pulled out of a tree like that,” biologist Ashley Hobbs told a local news station.
