State DEC officers rescue bear cub stuck in cab of excavator

WILNA, N.Y. (WWTI) — Some quick work by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation help save a young bear cub. The state DEC said in a press release that it responded to a call on Sunday, March 17.

The call was a report of a bear cub in the cab of an excavator in the Jefferson County town of Wilna. The owner/operator of the excavator who said he was removing downed trees and brush to widen farm fields when he accidentally collapsed a bear den.

Moments later, the owner/operator noticed a small bear cub and attempted to approach it, but the animal ran up the tracks of the machine, climbed into the cab through the open excavator door, and hid between the seat and the wall of the cab. With the mother bear nowhere in sight, the DEC officer safely removed the cub and placed it in a carrier.

The next day, two officers helped to transfer the young bear to Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center in Greene County where the cub will be cared for until ready for release.