Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR) reported on Thursday that it had saved two baby bear cubs after storms and snow hit East Tennessee last week.
Unfortunately, the rescue reported on Saturday that one of the bear cubs had died.
“We are sorry to inform you that Nibbles Bear, brother of Bits Bear, passed away this morning at The ABR Cub Nursery,” ABR said in a statement.
The rescue stated that Nibbles “seemed fine at his last feeding and fell asleep after eating.”
According to officials, he was active when he awoke but died 10 minutes later.
“We’re heartbroken over his loss; cubs this young are fragile, and their grip on life is tentative,” the rescuers added. “We’re very sorry, Nibbles. Rest easy. We will do our best for your sibling.”
According to ABR, Nibbles’ body has been transferred to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) for necropsy.
Nibbles and Bits were rescued earlier this week after ABR reported that a family lost a tree in last week’s storms and were astonished when a bear bolted from the tree and into a neighboring forested area while they were cleaning up the downed tree.
ABR then picked up the cubs and transported them to the UTCVM, where a trail camera was installed in the hopes of locating the mother bear.
ABR also praised the community for its support of the cubs.
“Thank you for your tremendous outpouring of generosity and support for the little cubs,” he said. “Thank you for sharing the rollercoaster ride that is bear rescue; the highs are happy and the lows are…miserable.”