Upton woman saves stranded, starving bear cub

UPTON – An Upton woman rescued an orphaned baby bear when she saw the cub weak and alone in the western Maine woods after a fierce snowstorm that dumped more than 2 feet of snow on the area.

Cyndy Scribner said she spotted the animal Dec. 7 and ended up taking it home three days later after it climbed down from a tree, squealing in pain with porcupine quills stuck in its face and leg.

After bringing the bear home, Scribner fed it maple syrup, milk and a bucket of dog food. It spent the night in her pickup truck snuggled in a blanket.

Scribner contacted Rick Mills of the Maine Warden Service, who retrieved the cub on Thursday and took it to a wildlife biologist in New Sharon.

“With the snow we’ve got now – 20 inches – he would never have made it,” Scribner said. “He was down for the count. He was starving and there was no way he could eat on his own, so I’m kind of glad I brought him home and gave him to a warden.”

Dawn Brown of New Sharon, who rehabilitates wildlife, said she expects to take possession of the cub soon and care for it until it can be released into the wild. Mills could not be reached Monday for comment.

Scribner said she first saw the bear while driving on East B Hill Road shortly after a nor’easter dumped 40 inches of snow on Upton, about 20 miles northwest of Rumford.

“He was in the road when I saw him. I kept an eye on him and he was just too small to climb over the snowbanks,” she said. “He’s just a baby. He should weigh between 35 to 40 pounds, but the warden said he only weighed about 12 to 15 pounds,” Scribner said.

Scribner said the bear appeared emaciated, so she fed it tea and milk, boxes of Cheerios and Wheaties, peanut butter sandwiches and canned milk. She said the bear then began acting unafraid around her.

Over the next few days, Scribner faithfully made three to four trips a day to look after the animal. On Wednesday, the cub climbed down from the tree, ran to her and climbed into her truck.

It was crying like a baby with the porcupine quills stuck in it, and Scribner decided to take it home.

“I know people are going to be upset that I fed him, but he’s alive and that’s all I cared about,” she added.