Wild animals are unbelievably resilient, for at least one good reason: If those critters end up with a serious injury, they don’t get to go to a doctor’s office. They either adapt and survive … or they don’t.
Today’s trail camera video is an illustration of that resilience, sent in by a man who calls himself “Bob from Maine.”
“This one comes from father-in-law via his backyard trail cam in the White Mountains [in New Hampshire],” Bob said. “I sent it to [the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department] via Instagram to see if they had any info on this or any sighting before, but never heard back.”
The video shows a large black bear that is missing most of its left rear leg, lurching across the screen. Two encouraging things emerge from the video, though. First, the bear is a hefty animal, especially when you consider that the video’s date stamp indicates it was taken on April 4. That would mean the bear had just emerged from its den, and had likely not had the opportunity to start finding a lot of natural foods. Therefore, it apparently came out of its den in pretty good shape (if, that is, you consider “round” a good shape for a bear).
The second encouraging thought to take from the video: Bears aren’t among the animals that have to do much running in order to catch food or avoid predators, so it would seem that getting around on three legs shouldn’t limit its vitality too much. Bears are omnivores, and spend a lot of time eating berries, nuts and (believe it or not) ants.
Thanks for the great video, Bob. And good luck to the three-legged bear!
Do you have a trail camera photo or video to share? Send it to jholyoke@bangordailynews.com and tell us “I consent to the BDN using my photo.” In order to prevent neighbors from stopping by to try to tag particularly large bucks, moose or bears, some identities and towns of origin may be omitted. If you are unable to view the photo or video mentioned in this story, go to bangordailynews.com.