In a somber development from the Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR), the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has euthanized a total of 13 bear cubs due to an outbreak of illness. The news has been met with distress among followers who have grown to cherish the names given to each bear cub—Patty, Pickles, Mac, Special Sauce, Homer, Diamond, Champ, Sundae, Peeps, Puff, Casper, Shadow, and SuBearu Bear—with the rescue not shy to highlight the deep emotional toll enacted upon their team.
The TWRA responded to the outcry by emphasizing their focus on safeguarding the broader bear population. In response to comments online, the agency said, "We know how much people care about these bears, and this situation has been challenging for everyone involved. The decision was made with the goal of protecting the broader black bear population and ensuring long-term conservation efforts," according to a statement detailed by WATE. This decision follows the detection of pneumonia in one cub, which later was found to be infected with a Streptococcus gallinaceous strain. The TWRA consulted with experts to diligently determine the best course of action, which they believe was to euthanize the affected cubs to curb the potential spread of the disease.
Details provided by WVLT convey that the euthanization was, in the TWRA's view, a measure to prevent the potential spread of the disease to wild bear populations. The agency moreover cited concerns regarding the likelihood of the cubs becoming habituated and dependent on humans if held through the winter, rendering them "unsuitable for release" in the spring. Plans for heightened biosecurity measures at the facility are reportedly underway to protect remaining bears.
Meanwhile, ABR's involvement in the discussions that led to the fateful decision was nonexistent, as was iterated in coverage by WBIR. Greg Grieco, operations manager for ABR, lamented, "They came and took eight today and killed them already. They are coming tomorrow to try to get the other five." The rescue's exclusion from the decision-making process has been a point of contention, with the ABR stressing its mission steeped in rescue, rehabilitation, and subsequent release of these cubs back into the wild.
