Couldn’t get enough of Punch, the Japanese monkey who went viral for clinging to his stuffed orangutan after being abandoned by his mother? Let us introduce you to a new baby animal that’s just as cute, with a slightly less tragic backstory. Meet Hiro, an adorable black bear cub currently getting awws across the internet.
Hiro was introduced to the world via the Instagram account of the Kilham Bear Center, a New Hampshire rescue organization dedicated to preserving the black bear population. Earlier in April, Kilham Bear Center shared a video of a bouncing black bear cub, who they introduced as Hiro. The organization said Hiro was living in Barre, Mass., before he was rescued by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
“He was spotted on a trail camera and after thirty hours of being observed alone, the decision was made to bring him to us,” Kilham Bear Center said in its post.
Where is Hiro’s mom? What happened to her? As of now, we don’t know, and, honestly, after all that Punch drama, maybe it’s better not to.
After Hiro was checked out by the team at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, volunteers from Tufts transported Hiro to the rescue. Since arriving, Hiro has “more than doubled in weight to over 6 lbs,” the rescue said. Adorably, “he has just started to take short walks into the woods!”
“We appreciate the Kilham Bear Center for giving this bear cub the specialized care it needs before it is returned to the wild,” biologist Dave Wattles, MassWildlife Black Bear Project Leader, said in a statement to Yahoo. “This is a rare situation involving an orphaned cub, and it is important to remember that wildlife should be left alone in most cases. The best way the public can help bears is by preventing conflicts before they start by securing food sources like trash, pet food and bird seed.”
The comments on Kilham Bear Center’s post suggests Hiro already has lots of fans. “Not to sound dramatic or anything but i would die for him,” one wrote. Another added: “Oh, my heart. The bravest little boy. By himself for so long, surviving that and doubling in weight now he has someone for him properly is fantastic.” And a third wrote: “Please tell him I love him and I think he is the most precious living creature in the entire world. And that I have no chill when it comes to darling baby bears.”
Unlike Punch, who is able to be viewed in the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, you can’t go see Hiro in person — the bear sanctuary is not open to the public. However, Kilham Bear Center is dedicated to recording Hiro at his absolute cutest and posting it to its Instagram. They’ve shared videos of Hiro climbing a tree, playing with a branch and generally being his silly, goofy little self.
Eventually, Hiro will be reintroduced to the wild, like all the bears at Kilham Bear Center. But until then, there’s plenty of bear content to consume.