by The Associated Press
Friday, May 21, 2010
SITKA, Alaska -- A 5-pound black bear cub found outside Gustavus will be kept at a bear rescue facility in Sitka until a zoo in the Lower 48 is ready to receive it.
The bear was sent to the nonprofit Fortress of the Bear, founded by Les and Evy Kinnear.
The cub initially was reported as a grizzly. State officials wanted to take the bear to Juneau for identification but the Kinnears refused to turn it over, fearing it would be euthanized.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Tom Schumacher acknowledged that a black bear cub would have been euthanized. He said Thursday, however, that the state had found a facility that wanted a black bear cub.
