Jul 21, 2008 3:43 pm US/Pacific
'Li'l Smokey' Fighting For Life At Care Center
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (CBS) ―
"Li'l Smokey," a black bear cub rescued by a firefighter, is fighting for his life in the hands of a South Lake Tahoe wildlife care center. The eight-pound cub, badly burned in a California wildfire, is still in critical condition.
He sounds like a cub without a mother who is far from home. Li'l Smokey is suffering from 3rd-degree burns, missing toes and padding on the bottom of his feet, and made heart-wrenching cries as vets worked to change his bandages.
The cub, rescued by firefighter Adam Deem from a fire near Redding, likely stepped on scorching ground, and may have been burned by the flames.
Every day, veterinarian Kevin Willitts and workers at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care subdue the bear and apply new dressings for his burns. The cub is then put back into his cage with fresh food and milk.
Workers are constantly reminded that Li'l Smokey is a wild black bear. "It takes four of us to hold down an eight-and-a-half pound bear," said Tom Millham. "At this age, they are extremely strong and always dangerous with those claws and teeth."
They usually don't name the animals or spend much time with them at the wildlife care facility, in order to keep the animals prepared to be released back into the wild. They also have to consider putting down the animals if their injuries are too severe -- the bear cub is still in critical condition, and may not recover.
But the firefighter named this one Li'l Smokey, and now the helpers at Lake Tahoe Wildlife care are hoping the fire wasn't more than he could handle.
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