Lifestyle Pets North Carolina Group Caught on Camera Pulling Black Bear Cubs from Tree to Get Selfie The incident was captured on April 16 and saw the group standing outside of a Buncombe County apartment complex pulling the black cubs from the tree By Gabrielle Rockson Gabrielle Rockson Gabrielle Rockson is a staff writer-reporter for PEOPLE. She joined PEOPLE in 2023 and covers entertainment and human interest stories. Her previous work can be found in OK! Magazine, MyLondon, GRM Daily, and more. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 19, 2024 01:49PM EDT A group in North Carolina was caught pulling bear cubs from a tree to take a selfie with them. The incident, which was caught on camera on April 16 and shared by ABC11 affiliate WLOS, saw the group standing outside of a Buncombe County apartment complex pulling the black cubs from the tree and turning around to take a picture with one of them. Meanwhile, the clip also included a cub running back toward the fence. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission special projects biologist Ashley Hobbs told the outlet that authorities were called after the video was sent to the commission on April 16. A group outside of a Buncombe County apartment complex pulling cubs from a tree. Rachel Stuadt/Local News X/TMX Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Zayn Malik Says Daughter Khai, 3, 'Helps' Him Name Animals on His Philadelphia Farm: 'It's Fun' “An apartment complex in the Fairview area, that officer did ask me to assist him in response to that, so I did get on site and I saw the cub,” Hobbs said. She added that when she arrived at the scene, there was only one cub that was still there. The animal was reportedly wet and cold and appeared to have been alone for a long period of time. “Very traumatic to be pulled out of a tree like that,” Hobbs said. A group outside of a Buncombe County apartment complex pulling cubs from a tree. Rachel Stuadt/Local News X/TMX Kansas Zoo Announces 5 of Its 6 Female Elephants Are Pregnant and Expecting Calves in 2025 The cub was reportedly unharmed and is currently being taken care of in a rehab facility. “We did follow up with the people who pulled the bear out of the tree,” the biologist continued. “We did confront them onsite that day. We let them know how irresponsible and potentially deadly it could be for that cub to be separated from its mom.” She added, “It is frustrating to see people be that irresponsible around wildlife because it is a blessing that we get to live in the mountains around these creatures.” Help Asheville Bears founder Jody Williams also expressed his disappointment. “All for a selfie, all for a selfie,” he said, adding, “It’s just ignorance, total selfishness, this is not what we talk about when we talk about coexisting.”