Injured cub is making gains

His four badly burned paws still snuggly bandaged, "Li'l Smokey," an adorable black bear cub rescued earlier this month from a Shasta County wildland fire, is getting a little feisty as his wounds start to heal.

The bear cub, which is being treated at the nonprofit Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, continues to gain weight, but he's getting somewhat picky about his fruit and fruit juices, Tom Millham, secretary-treasurer of the nonprofit group, said Monday.

Nevertheless, the cub's weight has increased to 13 pounds, 1 ounce. He weighed only 8 ½ pounds when he was brought to the center on July 18.

"Li'l Smokey" also is getting a little tired of his medical treatments and having the bandages on his paws changed daily.

"He doesn't want to be handled," Millham said, adding that he will try to stay away from his caregivers and bite their gloves as they try to treat him. "He's an ornery little bear."

But that's not bad, he said.

"That's a good sign," said Millham. "He has the wild instinct."

The 6-month-old injured bear cub was found and rescued on July 17 by Adam Deem, 32, of Anderson, a forester with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s California Northern Region Office, while he was scouting the northwest flank of the Moon Fire in the Grass Valley Creek area near the Buckhorn Summit. The bear cub’s mother could not be found.

Since he arrived at the South Lake Tahoe wildlife care center, “Li’l Smokey” is being nursed back to health, and the plan is to have him placed back into the Shasta-Trinity National Forest this winter during the hibernation season.

“Our number-one goal is to have him released back into the wild,” said Millham said.

“Li’l Smokey” is due to undergo a thorough evaluation on Thursday by a South Lake Tahoe veterinarian, said Millham said, noting that each of the cub’s paws is being treated with different medications.

The evaluation, he said, will help determine which treatment is working best and whether the care should remain the same or be modified.

“We’ll know a lot more then,” said Millham. But the circulation in the cub’s paws is good, and that they do not show any signs of infection, he added.

“Li’l Smokey” has gotten a lot of press coverage since his plight was first reported, and he has received get-well wishes from people throughout the U.S., Canada and England.

“He is internationally famous right now,” said Millham said, adding that the nonprofit group also has received many donations for the cub’s continuing care.

“People have been very generous,” he said. “They want to help.”

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care is posting updates on “Li’l Smokey” on its Web site — www.ltwc.org — and donations also can be made there.

Although Smokey has become a media star, his fire-fighting rescuer, Deem, also has received a share of the spotlight.

On Monday the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 9650 in Anderson will be honoring Deem with an award for his good work at its West Center Street hall.

That ceremony, which also will honor the Anderson Police Department, begins at 7 p.m.