Second Bear With Appalachian Rescue Dies

Another bear that is in the care of Appalachian Bear Rescue has died. This comes after the bear named “Flapjack” died Sunday from what was thought to be pneumonia. Now the bear called “Burrito” has died. He passed away early Tuesday morning. Burrito’s body is being taken to the UT College of Veterinary Medicine for a necropsy. Appalachian Bear Rescue says that Burrito Bear’s brother, Tamale, is also very sick and is being examined by doctors. ABR says most of the cubs that are sick have lesions in their throat that resemble strep throat, though the bacteria may not be strep. Vets are working hard trying to find out what the bacteria is so they know what they are dealing with and can devise a plan to combat it. Appalachian Bear Rescue says in their 27 years of existence they have never encountered anything like this. They say that ABR has had sick cubs arrive before, but something that spreads so quickly through a group of otherwise healthy cubs is the stuff of nightmares. If you would like to help Appalachian Bear rescue in their cause, you can get more information on their Facebook page.