On July 9, 2015 Appalachian Bear Rescue received a little female bear cub. For several days, raft company guides had seen the little cub swimming out alone to rafts in the Nolichucky River near Erwin, TN. When no mother bear appeared, a rafting guide rescued the cub from the riverand brought her to the USA Raft Company. The general manager called TWRA and they brought the bear to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. Our curator Janet met the officers there and waited until the cub was examined. The black bear was severely dehydrated and lethargic. At five months old, Noli Bear weighed 14.5lbs. She stayed with Appalachian Bear Rescue until November 9, 2015 and was released weighing 78lbs.

With permission from ABR,a very talented artist decided to hand felt Noli based on one of Appalachian Bear Rescue’s photos. The artist put a lot of time (over 10 hours), talent and effort into this project. We think you will agree that this image of Noli is very special! This artwork is original, and there will only be one, so this is your only opportunity to have this Noli Bear keepsake.

The hand felted Noli Bear comes with a 8x10 photo that is double-matted to 11x14. The photo was taken by ABR’s photographer of record, Ken LaValley while Noli was in residence at the ABR facility.

All proceeds from this sale go toABR\'s Return to the Wild Campaign. Please help us give orphaned and injured black bear cubs a second chance!