Bear Cub Yanked Out Of Tree For Photos Has Been Returned To Wild After Rescue

The female black bear cub is "adjusting well" to a life of freedom after her frightening ordeal.

A black bear cub rescued after being harassed and pulled out of a tree for a photo op has been released back into the wild.

Wildlife officials found the female cub wet and cold in a retention pond at an apartment complex in Asheville, North Carolina, in April. A witness had called authorities after seeing a group of people yanking two struggling cubs out of a nearby tree in attempt to take photos with them.

The cub was “lethargic and frightened” when wildlife workers got to her, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission biologist and bear specialist Ashley Hobbs said at the time. Her sibling had run away before rescuers got there, and was not located.

The cub was brought to the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, where the plan was for her to stay until she was old enough to be released back to the wild.

The NCWRC announced that day had finally arrived in a press release on Wednesday, saying she had been released “in an undisclosed and remote Western North Carolina mountain area.”