Firefighters Rescue Bear Cub In Lake County, Florida; Name Him ‘Smokey Junior’


Firefighters battling a blaze in Lake County, Florida, pulled a black bear cub out of a 300-acre burning brush fire.

The firefighters said that the bear’s mother was long gone, and the cub had suffered some minor burns, Forest Area Supervisor Ray Lovett told local news ClickOrlando.

“He comes walking out of the woods whining, just down here at the end of the road.

“His hair has been singed. He’s got some minor burns, looks like, on the bottom of his feet, maybe his lips, but he’s certainly survivable if cared for.”

Two Lake County homes had to be evacuated while firefighters tried to get the blaze under control.

Local resident Jason Hasty said he rushed home from work when his neighbor called him saying there was a fire in his backyard.

“Literally, you can see the smoke and it’s like, ‘Oh, this is kind of too close for comfort.’ We’re having to spray the water hose on it just to make sure everything is fine; it absolutely is really close.”

“With those strong winds, we’ve had trouble with spotting fires going across roads and across our control lines,” said John Kern, deputy chief with Florida Forest Service.

Hasty said he got lucky, but that the locals were concerned.

“Nothing is damaged. Everything is burnt. We’re just worried about the wildlife because this is where all the bears were going on.”

The bear cub, named Smokey Junior, has been turned over to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials, who are evaluating the cub, WESH 2 News has learned.

While everyone is familiar with the famous mascot for fire prevention, and the slogan, “Only you can prevent forest fires,” not many know that there was a real Smokey the Bear.

In a story eerily similar to this one, the 1950 New Mexico Smokey’s real-life story is outlined in a government document, “The History of Smokey the Bear.”

“During one of the lulls in the fire fighting, there was a report of a lonely cub seen wandering near the fireline. The little cub had been caught in the path of the fire. He had taken refuge in a tree that was now nothing but a charred, smoking snag. His climb had saved his life but left him badly burned on the paws and hind legs. The firefighters removed the little bear cub from the burned tree and a rancher, who had been helping the firefighters, agreed to take the cub home. The cub needed veterinary aid and was flown to Santa Fe where the burns were treated and bandaged.”

News of the burned cub traveled swiftly and was picked up by United Press and Associated Press.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXzcTvu9NPc

“Many people inquired about the little bear’s progress. The State Game Warden wrote an official letter to the Chief of the Forest Service, offering to present the cub to the agency with the understanding that the small bear would be dedicated to a publicity program for fire prevention and wildlife conservation.”

Even if his paws healed fully, being separated from his mother at such a young age meant the black bear cub would never learn to survive in the wild on his own.

“The go-ahead was given to send the bear cub to Washington, D.C. Once there, he found a home at the National Zoo and became the living symbol of Smokey Bear. Smokey died in 1976 and was returned to Capitan, New Mexico, where he is buried in the State Historical Park.”

The first Smokey the Bear costume was created in 1951 and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Lake County inferno was started by a construction crew that was clearing land, said local resident Adam Campbell.

“They actually set their brush on fire, they started a fire and they left. Yep, the wind just carried it on down the road. When you set a fire, you are supposed to stay until it’s out. They don’t even have running water there.”

Besides Smokey Junior, no other injuries in the fire have been reported. With such a similar beginning, will Smokey Junior continue the legacy of the original?

And is he a gift from the late Merle Haggard?

[Image via CrackerClips Stock Media/Shutterstock]

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