A Yosemite National Park ranger’s post has gone viral after sharing an emotional story to caution speeders.
On Facebook, the ranger explained that he received a “routine” phone call about a dead bear cub on the side of the road. Part of the ranger’s job is to locate the deceased animal and move it away from the roadway to prevent further animal endangerment.
“We get this call a lot. Too much, to be honest. “Bear hit by vehicle, dead on the side of the road.” Sadly, it’s become routine,” the ranger wrote.
The ranger described the moment that he found the cub, and he even pondered what kind of life the animal might have had if it survived the roadway. The ranger carried the small animal into the woods, but the man quickly realized that he was not alone. The mama bear had stayed in the area for hours after her cub died. She still called out to her baby, and the ranger caught himself hoping the cub would magically wake up and respond. In the caption, the ranger confessed:
“My heart sinks. It’s been nearly six hours and she still hasn’t given up on her cub. I can just imagine how many times she darted back and forth on that road in attempts to wake it. It’s extremely lucky that she wasn’t hit as well. The calls to the cub continue, sounding more pained each time. I glance back finding myself hoping it would respond to her call too, but of course, nothing.”
For more on bears, check out the video below.