National park ranger pens gut-wrenching post about mother bear mourning cub killed by car
Wednesday, July 21st 2021
NASHVILLE ( WZTV) — A national park ranger's heartbreaking plea asks folks to slow down while experiencing some of America's most beautiful spots as he recounted, in detail, a mother bear mourning her baby cub who had been hit and killed by a speeding vehicle.
A Yosemite ranger penned the post shared on Facebook last week, warning drivers to be mindful of surrounding wildlife.
We get this call a lot. Too much, to be honest. “Bear hit by vehicle, dead on the side of the road.” Sadly, it’s become routine," the post reads. "I try to remember how many times I’ve done this now and, truthfully, I don’t know. This is not what any of us signs up for, but it’s a part of the job nonetheless. The ranger says as they reach the scene, amid cars whizzing by, they spot the tragedy. "I turn my gaze from the car part down the embankment on the side of the road and there it is," the post reads. "A cub."
The ranger describes the cub as very young, no more than six months old, balled and lifeless under a small pine tree.
For a moment I lose track of time as I stand there staring at its tiny body, but then the sound of more cars whizzing by reminds me of my place and my role. I let out a deep sigh and continue on with my task. The ranger picks up the cub, which weighs roughly 25 pounds, off into the woods.
"The least I can do is find it a nice place to be laid. I lay it down in the grass protected by one of the nearby logs and sit back on the log opposite of it, slightly relieved that it looks far more in place now than when I found it earlier."
When the ranger continues their work, they discover the cub was a female.
"This immediately triggers thoughts of the life this bear may have lived — perhaps she would have had cubs of her own."
Just then - the ranger hears a stick break and looks up to see another bear. They quickly make a sound and wait for the bear's footsteps to tapper away before continuing their work — chalking it up to a timely coincidence.
But then, the sound of the grieving mother belts out.
From behind me there’s a deep toned but soft sounding grunt. I immediately know what it is. It’s a vocalization, the kind sows (female bears) make to call to their cubs. I turn and look in its direction and there she is, the same bear from before intently staring back at me. It’s no coincidence. I can feel the callousness drain from my body. This bear is the mom, and she never left her cub. After six hours, the mama bear still hasn't given up on her cub. The ranger wonders how many times the bear darted out in front of traffic to check on her lifeless cub — putting herself in danger.
"The calls to the cub continue, sounding more pained each time. I glance back finding myself hoping it would respond to her call too, but of course, nothing. Now here I am, standing between a grieving mother and her child. I feel like a monster."
The ranger decides it's time to leave, but before they go - a remote camera is set up.
Why? Every year we report the number of bears that get hit by vehicles, but numbers don’t always paint a picture. I want people to see what I saw: the sad reality behind each of these numbers. "So please, remember this. Remember that when traveling through Yosemite, we are all just visitors in the home of countless animals and it is up to us to follow the rules that protect them. Go the speed limit, drive alertly, and look out for wildlife. Protecting Yosemite’s black bears is something we can all do. Learn more about keeping bears wild here.
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