Fundraiser Seeks $10K For Injured Bear Walking on Two Legs in Morris County

A bear hasn’t been this loved since Yogi and Boo-Boo were weeding through picnic baskets.

Pedals, the bipedal black bear who hangs around the Oak Ridge section of Jefferson Township, is missing one front paw and has a permanent injury to another one.

You’ll recognize Pedals from this video, posted by Patch on Thursday, Oct. 1.

But Pedals isn’t just an ordinary bear moving between the wilderness and residential neighborhoods. Because of his injuries and inability to do all the bear things he should, including protect himself, his neighbors have started a GoFundMe page and hope to reach a goal of $10,000.

The donations have reached $2,031 in less than 24 hours and would be used for Pedals to be taken to The Orphaned Wildlife Center in Otisville, New York.

According to the GoFundMe page:

As many of you know we have been trying to get Pedals help for months. You see he is a bi-pedal bear he can only walk upright. His is missing one front paw and the other is permanently injured. He roams the neighborhoods of Oak Ridge, NJ looking for his next meal. He does not have the capability of running from what he may consider a threat, he cannot climb trees as most black bears do. He sticks to our neighborhoods because he cannot compete with the much larger bears in our area or navigate some of the tough mountain terrain. Today is Pedals day. We have been contacted by The Orphaned Wildlife Center in Otisville, NY and they have comitted 100% to helping Pedals. They are a non-profit organization that currently houses 14 adult bears. They are willing to give Pedals the life that he deserves. They will need our help in doing so. They want to build Pedals a brand new large enclosure including a den. This new enclosure will abut their current bear enclosures so he can see and smell other bears which will help keep him calm during his transition.

“They need donations to take on this task and any hands on help possible,” the fundraising site continued. The sooner we can meet our goals the sooner we can move forward.”

Once enough funds are raised, the Center would tranquilize Pedals and transport him to their center in upstate New York, about an hour away from Jefferson Township.

To see the full GoFundMe page, click here.

To see the original article about Pedals and his jaunt through the neighborhood, click here.