School aids in feeding bear cub

Farmington Elementary School students, staff and SCA members have answered the call to help feed an orphaned bear cub from Suffolk.

In October, the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro put out a plea for the public’s help to feed two bear cubs after their mother was struck and killed by a vehicle.

Both male cubs, one has since died while the other is growing each day thanks to schools across the state like Farmington, pitching in to donate food.

The first round of food was shipped last Friday, according to Cathy Zanella, a second-grade teacher at Farmington.

Zanella said four boxes were filled with pineapples, pumpkins, berries, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes and acorns. Farmington staff plans to ship the second and last round of boxes Thursday.

“If anybody wants to drop off any food before Thursday, we’d be glad to take it for them,” Zanella said.

A full list of requested items include: acorns, hickories, unsweetened/unsalted plain nuts, berries, pumpkins, squash, melons, gourds, kale, collard and mustard greens, beets, turnips, rutabagas, carrots, apples, pears, persimmons, eggs and raw honey.

According to the Wildlife Center’s blog, each day the cub eats about five pounds of food, which has caused him to gain 11 pounds so far.

Randy Huwa, spokesman for the Wildlife Center of Virginia, said the organization will release the cub into the wild as soon as he’s strong enough.

“It really depends on how quickly the bear gains weight,” Huwa said Sunday.

When the cub was rescued, Huwa said, he weighed about 25 pounds. Today, he’s about 36 pounds.

“We’ll be consulting with the bear biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and really relying on her judgment on when to release him,” Huwa explained, adding that he believes the cub will remain in custody for another few weeks.

Meanwhile, the Wildlife Center staff has also created a blog, detailing the cub’s progress since Oct. 19.

To watch the bear cub in action, the Wildlife Center has also created a critter cam at wildone.org/eaglecam/wildlife-center-web-cam/

Asked if the cub has a name, Huwa said the Wildlife Center of Virginia doesn’t name its patients.

“We have about 2,500 patients a year so we give them a number,” he explained. This particular bear’s number is 11-2532.

Huwa also shared his appreciation for the students’ donations and well wishes.

“The fact that these guys are helping us feed the bear is a great help obviously to this bear, but I think it’s also a way for students to learn about wildlife,” Huwa said.

Judy Sweetland, an English as a second language teacher at Farmington who has worked closely with the Wildlife Center on this project, said the students are learning about the importance of giving back.

“This gives them a chance to understand the importance of helping this bear return to his natural habitat,” Sweetland said.

Farmington students couldn’t wait to pitch in for a good cause.

Ayisha Elbulok, a second-grader in Zanella’s class, said it’s important for her to help because she feels like “the cub could not survive without our help.”

Marissa McCoy, a fourth-grader in Keri Nicholson’s class, said she wanted to help “wild animals so they can live long and happy lives.”

After learning about this effort, Farmington Principal Gail Brewer jumped at the chance to help out.

“[When] we heard about the bear from one of our teachers and felt it was a perfect opportunity to help support a great organization,” Brewer said. “Our students have also learned that they could have a really cool job like bear biologist or animal rescue worker when they grow up. They also know that there are many ways to help someone else. We have a wonderful and caring group of students.”

Want to give?

Donations are welcome at Farmington Elementary School, 500 Sunset Lane or call the school at 825-0713.