In a heartwarming act of bravery, a New Hampshire police chief risked his safety to save a sick bear cub left behind by its family.
Thomas Owens, a seasoned State Trooper in the White Mountain National Forest, is no stranger to black bears.
Typically trained to maintain a safe distance from these animals, especially the protective mothers, Owens faced a unique situation that required immediate intervention.
While on duty, Owens observed a bear family crossing the road. Among them was a struggling cub, unable to keep up.
The mother bear tried several times to encourage the weak cub to follow, but eventually, it sat down in the middle of the road, too exhausted to continue.
After multiple unsuccessful attempts to move the cub, the mother bear left her weak cub behind and continued with her other three healthy cubs.
Witnessing this, Owens knew he couldn’t leave the helpless cub and intervene directly for fear of provoking the mother bear.
Owens contacted New Hampshire Fish and Wildlife services and remained with the cub until their arrival.
Upon arrival, the team assessed the situation and transported the cub to a local rehabilitation center for further inspection and care.
Further investigation revealed that the mother bear had five cubs and had already abandoned another weak cuy.
Thankfully, the wildlife officials located the first abandoned cub and reunited it with its sibling at the rehab center.
The two cubs are now recovering at the center, where they will remain until they are healthy and strong enough to return to the wild.
These bear cubs have been given a second chance at life thanks to Officer Thomas Owens’ quick thinking and brave actions.
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