Somewhere in the Green Mountains of Vermont two orphaned bears are learning about life.
Indra and Izzy were released back into the wild by the Kilham Bear Center in New Hampshire where they were taken after their mother, “Bobbi the Bear,” was shot dead by a Ridgefield police sergeant last year.
“They are back in the wild now,” said Center founder Ben Kilham. The bears spent nearly a year in an 11-acre forested enclosure, learning to live independently without their mother.
Indra and Izzy’s mother was shot dead in Newtown with an AR-15 fired by Ridgefield Police Sergeant Lawrence Clarke. He told investigators she was threatening his chickens and grandchild on his property.
Kilham said Indra and Izzy are among 137 bears being released back into the wild. Most of the bears arrived at the center after their mother was shot or hit by a car. .
Kilham and his wife, Debbie Kilham, and nephew Ethan Kilham, a Vermont wildlife biologist and veterinarian, oversaw Indra and Izzy’s release into the forest. They were tranquilized during the transport by Vermont Fish & Wildlife personnel and tagged so officials can track them.
A veterinarian examined them before they were set free.
“Bears are meant to be in the wild,” said Kilham.
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