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April 25, 2011

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Farmer's unusual harvest: bear cubs

Twin black bear cubs found alone in the forest in southwest China by a farmer picking tea leaves are to be cared for by a local animal welfare organization until they are old enough to be released into the wild.

China Central Television reported on Saturday that the farmer, Tian Shougui, heard the animals crying in the forest two weeks ago and brought them home to his house in Sichuan Province's Longhua Town without realizing they were bears. "I heard their crying high up a hill, which made me very curious," Tian said. "I didn't know what animals they were but still decided to bring them back to my home, just to save their lives."

The twins, a male weighing just 3.2 kilograms and a female weighing 3.1kg, were confirmed by local animal experts to be Asiatic black bears, the report said. The bears, protected under Chinese law, are sometimes poached for their bile, which is used in Chinese traditional medicine.

Based on their weight, they are likely about three months old, according to the Wildlife Information Network.

Tian fed them milk, rice powder and egg yolks, the report said.



 

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