Virginia wildlife center admits 2 orphaned black bear cubs

WAYNESBORO, Va. (AP) - The Wildlife Center of Virginia has admitted two black bear cubs after their mother was shot and killed by a homeowner defending his bird feeder.

Officials from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries said a property owner in Amherst County had complained about black bears visiting his bird feeders. The department advised the homeowner to remove the feeders, but he did not.

On Tuesday, an adult female bear and her two cubs came to the feeder. Game officials said the homeowner shot the mother bear, mistakenly using regular buckshot instead of rubber buckshot. The bear was killed.

The cubs are expected to remain in the center's care until April 2019, when they will be released back into the wild.

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