‘Baby-Bear Snuggler’ Is an Actual Job in Michigan – Surprising, Isn’t it?

Michigan has its fair share of odd jobs around the state but we think we just found the oddest of them all. It's a job that would be extremely rewarding even if you weren't getting paid.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently shared some insight into a job that involves cuddling bear cubs.

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According to the DNR, they sometimes find orphaned cubs that can't make it on their own, so the DNR tracks down a healthy mama bear with young cubs who could adopt the orphaned cub.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources:

There are a few adult female bears, called sows, in northern Michigan that are part of the DNR’s surrogate sow program. These bears already have cubs of their own and know how to be a mama bear.

 

These surrogate sows have a GPS radio collar put on them that we can use to track where they are. This lets us find them in their winter den in case an orphaned bear cub is found and needs to be placed with a mama for survival.

After tracking the mama bear to her den, researchers sedate her and give her a full physical examination. She is weighed, measured, has blood drawn, is fitted for a new radio collar, and is monitored for vitals.

While mama bear is getting her hour-long exam, the bear cuddlers come in to keep the cubs warm.

Cubs are held inside jackets for about an hour during the sow’s check-up. They weigh between 3-6lbs and are easy to hold as long as you keep a close eye out for those claws!

According to Outdoors, Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources is hiring seasonal employees for their wildlife team, which may involve handling wildlife surveys in the spring and summer months.