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The Columbia County incident happened Friday evening, April 19, on the Taconic State Parkway near Exit 99 in the hamlet of Spencertown.
Two or three 10-pound cubs that are still nursing were left orphaned when the adult bear was hit and killed, according to the wildlife nonprofit Lucky Rehabilitation Center.
“We located the body of their mom and will be gathering hair samples this morning in the hopes that a tracking dog can use the scent to find the babies today,” the organization said in a Facebook post Tuesday, April 23.
Volunteers have spent the past week searching possible dens in Spencertown and Chatham with scopes and thermal scanners to no avail. At least two operators from Upstate Thermal Drone Services and Heatseeker Drone Services assisted from the air.
There was a brief glimmer of hope on Saturday, April 20, when a young girl reported seeing a cub in a wood line off South Cross Road in Austerlitz. A rescue team showed up within an hour but found on sign of the animal.
Lucky Rehabilitation Center has set live traps and game cameras in hopes of finding the young cubs.
“We are still cautiously optimistic that we will find these babies, but are running out of places to look,” the organization said. “Please keep your eyes open in the area, as they may begin to seek out people's porches and yards for food.”
Any cub sightings can be reported to Lucky Rehabilitation Center via email or by calling 518-653-0971.
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