The Wildlife Center of Virginia announced Wednesday that they had released three of seven Black Bear yearlings back into the wild after a year of care at the wildlife center.
One of the bears, who was affectionately named “Double Green”, was rescued after a brush fire in Wythe County when he was just an infant. 10 News has covered his recovery from when he was just an infant to becoming the leader of his pack.
The Wildlife Center said the following in a social media post on Thursday:
“Goodbye, Double Orange, Double Pink, and Double Green, and good luck out in the wild!
This morning, we said goodbye to three of our seven Black Bear yearlings after a year of care at the Wildlife Center. Each of the three bears received a final exam, including weights, bloodwork, skin scrape tests, and ear tags. We’re happy to report that all three bears were deemed healthy. The largest of the three weighed in at 80kg, which is roughly 176 pounds!
The release sites for these bears were chosen based on food abundance, habitat, and remoteness from humans. Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources biologists departed the Center with the yearlings at approximately 10:30 a.m. and will provide an update later today once they have been successfully released.
The remaining four yearlings will be released during the week of April 14. Until then, you still have a couple of weeks to watch them on our Critter Cams!"