Analysis of Hematology and Serum Chemistry in Rehabilitated Black Bear Cubs Prior to Release

American black bear cubs (Ursus americanus) have been rehabilitated at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park (HSSWP) since 2000.  Cubs found alone and less than 30 pounds are considered orphans and are either live trapped or caught manually by bear biologists from the Florida Freshwater Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC).  Cubs with obvious health concerns, such as wounds, or that are grossly malnourished are evaluated by a wildlife veterinarian.  Once medical issues, if present, are addressed, all cubs are raised in isolation from people with contact consisting of basic husbandry.  Prior to release in November or December of the same year that they are rescued, each bear undergoes a complete examination under chemically induced anesthesia.  Biological sampling, tattooing, and microchip placement occur during this evaluation.   

The 2022 cohort of orphan bears included 11 cubs rescued from various locations within the state of Florida from March 2022 to June 2022.  At their pre-release health evaluation, serum chemistry and hematology was evaluated on all 11 cubs. Adult dog hematology and serum chemistry values provided by the clinical pathology lab (Idexx) were used to provide the health reference range. While several of the tests were outside the reference range, none were deemed to be clinically significant.  These differences could be explained by the physiological state of the bears or perhaps in the husbandry.  The laboratory work supports the clinical evaluation that the bears are healthy and perhaps the blood sampling could be directed to infectious disease surveillance or environment health screening.

For more information: tdmartin@eckerd.edu

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