Virginia state trooper rescues orphaned bear cubs

Virginia State Senior Trooper D.H. Cepelnik can now add "bear cub rescuer" to his résumé.

Cepelnik was called out to a car accident in Franklin County last Thursday, and when he arrived, he discovered a bear had been hit by a vehicle and killed while crossing the highway. She left behind two cubs stranded on the side of the road, but Cepelnik was able to wrangle the active cubs and take them to Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro.

The cubs weigh about four pounds each, and are "dehydrated and mildly anemic," the center said. Once they are fully recovered, the cubs will be released back into the wild, but for now, they are enjoying playing with each other and skipping their bottles — the cubs prefer to eat wet dog food mixed with a formula designed specifically for black bear cubs.

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