‘When the buying stops, the killing can too.’ That’s the catchphrase of wildlife conservationists who lobby for the protection of endangered animals. These animals are most often sold in the black market as exotic pets, or for their fur, meat, ivory, and the purported healing and rejuvenating properties of their various body parts. The bile of the black bear, for example, is believed to cure almost anything according to traditional Chinese medicine. These animals are caught in the wild and placed in small cages with a tube running out their sides for the bile to flow out of. Another good example of the illegal animal trade would be the Malayan Sun Bear. These bears are usually sold as pets to private collectors or to zoos.
Poachers don’t really pay particular attention to the welfare of the animals they’ve caught. Their methods of capture are by no means gentle either. Orphaned young animals are the most common result of their efforts. Once in a while, these animals get lucky and are rescued and sent to wildlife centers specializing in hand-rearing wild animals and re-introducing them back into the wild. Hand-rearing is no mean feat. Taking care of these orphaned animals require just as much devotion as taking care of a human infant. They essentially have the same basic needs: warmth, security, and food.
Bear cubs, like all mammals, need to consume mother’s milk in their infancy. Since this option is no longer viable for a rescued cub, the next best thing is bottle feeding by a human. Cow’s milk has been found to be unsuitable for very young cubs since it contains too little protein. Wildlife rescue centers rely on powdered dog’s milk formula to supply adequate nutrition to these cubs. While bottle feeding a baby bear may sound delightful, it’s not the best thing for both the bear and its human caretaker. One must keep in mind that these animals will later be released in the wild. It is for this reason that forming deep bonds with the cub is not encouraged. If a hand-raised bear becomes too trusting of humans, it will make it even more vulnerable to poachers. On the other hand, those who have ever experienced bottle feeding a baby bear will find it a rewarding, if heart-wrenching, experience.
The expression ‘eats like a bear’ is rooted in fact and baby bears are no exceptions from this habit. When bottle feeding a baby bear, you should make sure that the bottle is tilted all the way up, in a vertical position if possible. This will reduce the chances of the baby bear sucking in and swallowing a lot of air instead of the formula. Bears get colicky too, and a colicky baby bear is so harder to soothe than a colicky infant baby. Like human babies, the bottle feeding of bear cubs need to be on a regular basis. Once every three hours around the clock usually does the trick. With this schedule, the human foster parent will need to be up all night bottle feeding its cub.
