Mixed Feelings

Great to see a bear cub again. This is not the one that was seen today though. This picture is from a couple years ago. The one on our lane today was too quick, or perhaps too shy to have its picture taken. But at least a bear is back!

Before today, the last Black Bear sighting was 14 months ago. Late April 2021. The bear that showed up on that day was suffering from sarcoptic mange. It showed up nearly naked, just skin and bones. It made its appearance and disappeared just as quickly as today’s cub. Previous visits were once every couple weeks. The mange though seems to have decimated the bear population in this local area. But it looks like they are recovering.

It’s good to have the cub come through looking happy and health. Mighty good. Now watch out for the bird feeders!

Published by

Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.