Unusually Tiny 15-Pound Bear Cub Found in Arizona Suburb and Now Residing at the Bearizona Wildlife Park

"We would have thought that a bear that size would have been picked off by a predator," said Arizona Game and Fish spokesman Mark Hart

A bear cub was recently found in a Tucson, AZ residential neighborhood — and the public can officially meet him!

The bear cub, whom the Bearizona Wildlife Park staff named Buddy after the main character in Elf, has been treated with a veterinary checkup at Bearizona Wildlife Park. He was also welcomed to the park, where he's living in a separate quarantine-safe area.

Bearizona Wildlife Park shared that starting Friday, visitors can meet the young cub in his safe area.

Last week, Buddy was found weighing just 15 pounds, leaving the staff to wonder how the bear had survived alone in the wilderness.

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The official Instagram account for the Bearizona Wildlife Park shared Buddy’s story on Tuesday. In the caption, the Wildlife Park quoted Mark Hart — an Arizona Game and Fish spokesman — who shared that the bear cub shockingly weighs a minimal amount.

“A 15-pound bear should be about four or five months old. The math doesn’t work,” said Hart.

The account shared that typically, bear cubs in the U.S. are born at the start of the year. Dave O’Connell, Chief Operating Officer of the park, added that cubs around the 10-month to 1-year mark should weigh around 70 pounds.

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While the bear’s weight remains a mystery to the Bearizona Wildlife Park staff, they also shared their confusion regarding the location of the cub’s mother. They've begun speculating whether or not Buddy was abandoned or left his mother. Hart also questioned how Buddy made it down the Catalina Mountains into a residential area.

“We would have thought that a bear that size would have been picked off by a predator. A coyote, a mountain lion, or even another bear,” shared Hart.

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Additionally, O’Connell shared that the cub was unusually comfortable with people. He speculates that the bear — who is healthy — may have been “illegally fed” by a human. “It could explain his comfort around humans,” said O’Connell. “It might also explain why he is so small.”

The park shared that Buddy the cub wasn’t euthanized because of his unusual comfort and fearless demeanor around humans. However, Buddy’s situation is a rare exception, and typically, that could happen to a bear in his situation.

O’Connell repeatedly shared with the public that although Buddy was small, they must remember “a fed bear is a dead bear,” and “if you care, leave it there.”

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