CBC News on Vicks VapoRub helps cubs find mom:
When conservationists in Manitoba found four orphaned polar bear cubs roaming the streets of Churchill, they knew they had to do something.
They couldn't risk putting the young bears back into the wild on their own and didn't want to send them to zoos for fear of mistreatment.
Instead, conservationists used a common cold remedy to help the orphaned cubs return to the wild.
They slathered Vicks VapoRub over a mother bear's cub and one of the orphans. The sedated mother's nose was also covered with the medicinal salve.
When the mother woke up, she licked the salve off herself and the cubs.
The theory is that the VapoRub masks the unfamiliar scent of the orphan, thus fooling the mom into thinking that both the cubs are hers.
What an ingenious idea! I sincerely hope it succeeds longterm.