She added that when she arrived at the scene, there was only one cub that was still there.
The animal was reportedly wet and cold and appeared to have been alone for a long period of time.
“Very traumatic to be pulled out of a tree like that,” Hobbs said.
The cub was reportedly unharmed and is currently being taken care of in a rehab facility.
“We did follow up with the people who pulled the bear out of the tree,” the biologist continued. “We did confront them onsite that day. We let them know how irresponsible and potentially deadly it could be for that cub to be separated from its mom.”
She added, “It is frustrating to see people be that irresponsible around wildlife because it is a blessing that we get to live in the mountains around these creatures.”
Help Asheville Bears founder Jody Williams also expressed his disappointment.
“All for a selfie, all for a selfie,” he said, adding, “It’s just ignorance, total selfishness, this is not what we talk about when we talk about coexisting.”
