Lansing - Tommy Bell ran with excitement from the petting zoo to the display that held Potter Park Zoo’s newest arrival.

“I’ve seen a baby bear cub, I’ve seen a baby bear cub, it’s so cute, it’s so cute,” the 8-year-old Haslett resident said.

The zoo, 1301 S. Pennsylvania Ave., acquired an American black bear cub, yet to be named, on May 7.

Since then, the bear has been the biggest attraction at the zoo.

“I get so many calls, asking where’s the bear? Where’s the bear?” zoo director Gerald Brady said. “Everyone wants to see the special bear.”

The bear was found near death in Gladwin with porcupine quills on its face and mouth. The quills made it impossible for the cub to nurse so the mother abandoned her.

The cub was sent to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, where officials took the cub to a veterinary clinic for care.

The clinic contacted the zoo once the animal had recovered from its injuries.

Brady said that since acquiring the cub, its health is vastly improving.

“The bear is doing a lot better, we are providing excellent care for it,” he said. “It keeps gaining weight and we presume it will stay healthy.”

Zookeeper Mark Marquardt provides round-the-clock care for the cub.

Its diet consists of puppy chow soaked in powdered goat milk. Marquardt said he estimates the bear to weigh five pounds and is about 8 inches tall. It has gained about 2 pounds since it was transferred to the zoo.

The young animal also has plenty of opportunity to play.

Marquardt said the cub’s display is full of stuffed animals and puppy toys. The radio is constantly playing so she doesn’t feel lonely.

“She likes to be held,” he said. “When we leave she might start crying.”

But the cub’s stay in Lansing may only be temporary.

Zoo officials believe they will keep the cub through the summer and maybe through the fall, depending on how fast the cub gains weight.

Brady said that they only have one display case that can accommodate a bear up to 150 pounds.

American black bears normally grow to about 3-to 4-feet tall and weigh about 250 pounds, and during hibernation the animals can weigh up to 500 pounds, Marquardt said.

While zoo officials are planning a larger display to be finished in the next two years, the cub may have to go somewhere else.

When it gets too big the zoo is going to transfer the cub to a different zoo somewhere in the United States, Brady said.

“We are trying to develop a contract with an accredited zoo,” he said. “So they can provide long-term care for the bear.”