He has begun eating again after 48 hours unconscious.
A precious baby bear is being nursed back to life after being hit by a car earlier this week.
The black bear, which is about 5 months old, was hit a week ago in Otisville, N.Y., and found unconscious and badly injured. The cub had brain swelling, a severe concussion and an injured leg.
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Veterinarians weren’t sure whether he was going to make it.
“He was sent flying,” Kerry Clair, one of the founders of Orphaned Wildlife Center told InsideEdition.com. “People on the scene had said we need to put him down, but a police officer wanted to try to save him.”
A local animal rehabber contacted the center to see if they could help the cub, despite the grim outlook.
“When we first saw him, we didn’t think he would make it all," Clair said. "He was completely unconscious. He wasn’t moving his limbs. He didn’t seem to be able to move or he would shake uncontrollably and groan. It was really horrible."
After 48 hours, the bear still had not woken up and the center was thinking there may not be much hope, and that's when the cub's health began taking a turn for the better.
“We were just deciding maybe we should let him go and then he opened one of his eyes and tried to suckle from a syringe that had formula in it,” Clair said. “Once he started doing that, we were really hopeful. We said, "All right, let’s give him a shot.'"
Clair said the bear, which has been named Vinny NuNu, has been slowly but steadily improving. His diagnosis right now is pretty touch and go, however, and he may have been blinded in the accident.
“The vet said he still might have brain damage,” Clair said. “He’s walking a little bit now and standing. He even ate a whole bowl of chicken today. He’s still not out of the woods. We aren’t 100 percent sure he is going to make it, but he is doing remarkably well.”
The center, which provides sanctuary for orphaned animals and eventually hopes to return them to the wild, said they believe Vinny NuNu has a mother and siblings who are nearby and they hope to one day reunite them.
But, Vinny NuNu’s mother has not forgotten about him.
“[Officials] said the mother was extremely upset and they had to keep driving her away from the area,” Clair said.
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The center is currently housing 11 bears so they hope to raise money to build a separate enclosure for the cub while he heals.
“We don't even know if he will survive, or if he will be OK to be released, but on the chance that he is, we know where he came from and where his mother is."
Watch: Bear Opens Door and Make Itself at Home
