Oregon police 'detain' adorable, orphaned bear cub overnight
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What do you do if you find a cuddly black bear cub whimpering in the bushes outside your home?
Well, wildlife authorities say you actually should leave the area and call officials, because a nearby Momma Bear could make for a scary situation. But a teenage boy in southern Oregon ignored that protocol and rescued a 12-pound cub earlier this week; the boy and his parents dropped off the cub in a plastic storage bin at the Myrtle Creek police station. Police and officials from Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife searched for the mother bear to no avail, so the cub spent a night "detained" at the station. He was "very well behaved," Don Brown, police chief in Myrtle Creek, told The Associated Press.
While bear hunting season kicked off on April 1 in Oregon, authorities said they have not found any dead bears in the area. Nevertheless, the presumably orphaned cub headed for the University of Oregon to receive a checkup, and then he will be cared for at a zoo.
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Watch the little guy toddle around the police station in the video below for your fix of Saturday adorableness. --Sarah Eberspacher
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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
