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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Bear cub with paws burned in wildfire to get daily medical treatment

Idaho Department of Fish and Game veterinarian Mark Drew bandages the paws of "Boo Boo," a bear cub that was found Sunday night by firefighters battling the Mustang Fire near Salmon, Idaho, at the Garden Valley U.S. Forest Ranger Station in Garden Valley, Idaho, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Drew said that the cub has 2nd degree burns on all four of his paws and needs daily medical care for the next four to six weeks. (AP/The Idaho Statesman / Joe Jaszewski)
Idaho Department of Fish and Game veterinarian Mark Drew bandages the paws of "Boo Boo," a bear cub that was found Sunday night by firefighters battling the Mustang Fire near Salmon, Idaho, at the Garden Valley U.S. Forest Ranger Station in Garden Valley, Idaho, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. Drew said that the cub has 2nd degree burns on all four of his paws and needs daily medical care for the next four to six weeks. (AP/The Idaho Statesman / Joe Jaszewski)

Here's a news item from the Associated Press: BOISE, Idaho (AP) ― State wildlife officials say a black bear cub rescued from a wildfire burning the backcountry in eastern Idaho will need daily medical care for burns on all four paws. The 25-pound bear nicknamed "Boo Boo" was discovered Sunday night all alone and clinging to a tree in an area recently scorched by fires associated with the Mustang Complex Fire. Efforts to find the mother were unsuccessful. Officials also say the cub likely had not eaten for at least four days. A veterinarian with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game said Boo Boo has second-degree burns on each paw, needs daily bandage changes and six weeks to heal. Officials wanted to rehabilitate the bear at a wildlife sanctuary in McCall, but the extent of the burns requires more intensive care.



Betsy Z. Russell

Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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