Bear cub injured in 416 Fire

Firefighters and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have rescued a bear cub injured in the 416 Fire burning north of Durango.

The female bear cub suffered severe burns to its paws. Firefighters noticed the young bear wandering alone through a burned area while they worked on the south end of the 416 Fire. They contacted CPW after they didn’t see a mother bear for a couple of days. Wildlife officers found the cub in a tree and tranquilized it.

The bear is now being treated at CPW’s Frisco Creek wildlife facility near in the San Luis Valley.

“When the bear was brought in I wasn’t sure if it was going to make it,” said Michael Sirochman, manager of the Frisco Creek facility. “But she’s responding very well to treatment and by winter we believe we’ll be able to return her to the wild.”

It’s unclear how the cub became separated from its mother.