Man drives injured bear cub from Payson to Scottsdale
Aug 25, 2014, 3:49 PM | Updated: 3:50 pm
PHOENIX — A Payson man got a little more than he bargained for when he went to move what he thought was a dead dog off an Arizona highway.
After seeing the animal laying by the road, Christopher Morris decided to stop and remove it. As he got closer, he learned it was a bear cub. When he was near enough to touch it, he found it was still alive.
He looked for the cub’s mother, but saw no sign of her, so Morris called several places in the Payson area to take the bear. None had space. He then contacted the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale and drove the bear to the Valley.
X-rays showed the 4-month-old cub suffered a fractured leg but was otherwise in good health.
It is unknown if the cub will be released back into the wild.
Last week, SWCC took in two baby animals separated from their parents during a huge storm. A baby skunk, nicknamed Monsoon, was found floating down a street in Surprise along with a young mule deer.
