Adorable Orphaned Bear Cub Is On The Mend In New Hampshire

The one year old's New Years Resolution is to GAIN 35-40 pounds.

An orphaned bear cub was recently rescued by game wardens in Vermont, and is now among 60 bear cubs being nursed back to health at the Kilham Bear Center in Lyme, New Hampshire. According to WMUR News 9, bear expert Ben Kilham said it's the most he's ever handled at once, due in part to a poor food season where bears struggled to find acorns and apples. This particular cub was rescued out of a hollow tree last week before being brought to Kilham. He said bear cubs need to have about 30 percent of their body weight be fat to safely hibernate through the cold winter, and this one didn't.

Kilham told WMUR the newest addition wouldn't be alive today if he hadn't been rescued in Vermont. "The cub only weighed about 10 pounds and, in all likelihood, wouldn't be alive right now."

According to Kilham, the cub will be released back into the wild this summer, after gaining the proper wieght, estimated to be close to 40 pounds.

Kilham, who's world-renowned and been in practice for decades needs funding in order to continue growing his facility and work with large numbers of orphaned cubs in the future.