To get to this point, the bear cub had been through a lot.
Toogee Sielsch has been keeping a close eye on orphaned cub Tamarack ever since he ran away from a facility for animals after being rescued from a Northern California wildfire zone.
Poor Tamarack’s paws got burned in the fire and needed to be taken care of. He was taken to a place for animals to get the care he needed, which was a good thing.
Tamarack, on the other hand, was a free bear who had to live that way.
So, he ran away from the facility to return to the wild, where he belonged.
This little cub climbed out of its cage and dug under an electric fence.
So badly did he want to be free. Trail cameras set up all over the forest near Sielsch’s house give him a glimpse of Tamarack.
And video shows that the little bear is doing fine by himself.
In fact, it’s even better than fine. He can not only live out there on his own and get the things he needs to stay alive, but he also has toys.
Sielsch even saw Tamarack and a friend taking a bath in a big puddle.
That friend was a toy bear made of plastic.
No one knows where the little stuffed bear came from. The video shows Tamarack jumping into the puddle with his muddy paws sticking out and grabbing his little bear as it bobs up and down in the water. This warmed Sielsch’s heart for sure.
Sielsch told The Dodo, “I thought it was almost a perfect example of how playful all black bears are, not just young ones.”
After everything Tamarack had been through, Sielsch was so happy to hear that he was out there living his best life.
“It warms my heart to see how far he’s come against all odds as an orphaned cub of the year who was getting better,” Sielsch said. “It shows how determined animals are when it comes to staying alive.”
It’s been said that cubs can live on their own in the wild if the conditions are right.
John Beecham told The Wildlife Center of Virginia, “Leaving a cub in the wild is a good option for many cubs if they are old enough to survive on their own and have enough fat reserves.” “Cubs of American black bears as young as 5 to 7 months have lived. Studies of bears that were set free show that older, bigger cubs have a better chance of making it.
The video shows that Tamarack is not only still alive, but also doing very well. The video of him playing in the bathtub was put on YouTube, where it was seen by thousands of people. The Dodo also wrote about it.
“This is really cute!! All that was missing was a bubble bath. “Loved how when he dropped it, he grabbed it quickly and asked, “Are you okay, buddy?”,” wrote one person.
“This is the best thing in the world… do you think the bear knows that the toys have the same parts or is it just a coincidence?” said another.