A bear cub with horribly burned paws that was saved by a state firefighter was in critical condition Monday at a South Lake Tahoe wildlife care center.
The 8.5-pound, 6-month-old black bear cub is undergoing treatment at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, a licensed facility that rehabilitates and releases injured wild birds and animals.
Cheryl Millham, founder and executive director of the center, was hopeful the bear named Lil' Smokey would be okay.
"Everybody should keep some good thoughts for him because he is pretty critical," said Millham.
The cub was receiving antibiotics, other medicine and clean bandages each day. Until Monday, when his appetite flagged, he dined on peaches, pears, grapes and plums.
Millham credited firefighter Adam Deem, who found the bear in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest west of Redding last Thursday, with saving the bear's life.
"This bear would have been dead right now, dying an agonizing, horrible death with burned paws if that firefighter had not picked it up," said Millham. "Thank goodness this firefighter had some compassion."
As it is, the bear has a rough road ahead.
Pads on his feet must grow back, and the bear needs toenails. All that is there now is flesh.
"If the pads regenerate and the toe nails regrow," he could go back to the wild, said Millham.
Without claws the bear cannot tear apart a log to look for grubs or climb a tree.
"We like to think the prognosis is good," said Millham. "He's getting the best of medical care and donations are coming in so he gets the best food."
Lil' Smokey spends a great deal of time lying down because of his burns, but he can stand on his four bandaged feet.
If the bear rebounds, he will be taught to enter water to snag fish, search logs stuffed with grubs and rummage for acorns.
Then, he will be sedated and placed in a snow den in January or February for hibernation in a location selected by the state Department of Fish and Game.
"The center puts it through a process so that it has the best chance for survival," said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Game.
Two bears raised last year by Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care did fine upon release, Millham said. A remote camera revealed that as soon as they came out of hibernation in the spring they went to a rotten log and ripped it apart.
"They learned their lesson well," said Millham.
The rescue center can only accept cubs from birth to 50 pounds. Pictures of Lil' Smokey are at the groups website: http://www.ltwc.org/
The center has two other bear cubs, also six months old, who have grown to be a roly-poly furballs weighing 35 to 40 pounds.
If Lil' Smokey survives, but cannot be returned to the wild because of its burns, he would be kept in captivity.
Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.
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