Brandon Poole first believed that box had either puppies, or piglets inside it

Mar 13, 2013 09:12 GMT  ·  By

Three black bear cubs were recently rescued by a volunteer in South Carolina after being placed in a cardboard box and abandoned on the side of the road.

Funnily enough, Brandon Poole first assumed that the box he stumbled upon had either puppies or piglets inside it.

Still, the moment he approached the animals he came to realize that he needed to contact trained people as soon as possible, seeing how the tiny creatures inside the box were actually black bear cubs.

“I thought it was little puppies in that box, so I got closer to it. I noticed I heard squealing, so I thought it was baby pigs. I got closer and picked one up. It was three baby bears,” Brandon Poole told members of the press. Sources report that Bennie and Jerry, the male bear cubs, are now taken care of by the staff at the Appalachian Bear Rescue in Townsend, Tennessee.

The third cub, a female whose health condition was not all that good, is now trying to get back in shape at a sanctuary in Charleston, South Carolina.

It is to be expected that the bear cubs will be released in the wilderness in about one year's time.