Troopers rescue black bear cubs in Franklin County

ROANOKE, Va. – A picture of bear cubs in the care of a Virginia state trooper has gone viral on social media. The two cubs were rescued after their mother was hit while crossing Booker T. Washington Highway. 

"We are very thankful the state troopers went the extra mile to rescue these two cubs. They are definitely far too small and too young to be by themselves," said Amanda Nicholson, director of outreach for The Wildlife Center of Virginia.

It required some work to convince the scared brother and sister to trust the troopers, but now, they are recovering and getting some serious play time at The Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro. 

"We started receiving black bear cubs this year basically all in one day," said Nicholson.

The rescued cubs join three others in the care of the wildlife center. They will spend about a year receiving food they need to grow and space they need to survive in the wild when they're released.

"We're the only facility within the state that can rehabilitate black bears, so we have a variety of enclosures depending on the age of the bear and where they are in their recovery process," said Nicholson.

While the troopers knew exactly what to do and where to take the bears, sometimes, it isn't so clear. Nicholson's advice if you come upon cubs during this busy bear season is to first make sure they're alone and in need of help, then call the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.