Burned bear found, paws treated

One cinnamon-colored bear has been treated for burned paws after the Angora fire, thanks to the efforts of veterinarian Dr. Kevin Willits.

Found in the Gardner Mountain area, the bear was left in the wild after being treated, according to Tom Milham of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care. He said the bear will recover.

“She had been laying down under a tree for the last few days and walking around gingerly,” Milham said. “We tranquilized and examined her. All four paws were severely burned, but not to the point that affected ligaments or tendons.

“We cleaned her up and hopefully when she wakes up, she’ll feel better,” Milham said.

The organization has received a few calls about bears, but this is the first one they’ve treated since the fire, Milham said.

“We haven’t received any deer, birds or animal calls due to the fire yet,” he said. “But we expect them as soon as people start coming back to their homes.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care is an independent, nonprofit volunteer organization whose function is to raise, rehabilitate and release orphaned or injured wild animals.

For more information or to report an injured or orphaned animal, call them at 577-2273 or visit their Web site, www.ltwc.org.