JACKSON TWP — A township woman is accused of keeping an illegal pet — a newborn bear cub.

Pennsylvania Game Commission authorities recently found the weeks-old black bear in a camper trailer on a farm at Beth E. Nicklas’ home on Textor Hill Road.

Randy Pilarcik, a game commission wildlife conservation officer for Butler County, last month cited Nicklas for having the female cub.

He also seized the bear, which remains at the commission’s northwest regional office in Franklin, Venango County.

“We’re trying to find a surrogate mother for it,” he said.

The 51-year-old Nicklas told investigators that she became an unintended bear keeper in late April while staying at her family’s camp in Lycoming County.

“She said her dog brought it out of the woods,” Pilarcik said.

Nicklas brought the bear back to her home where she lives with her husband.

Her new “pet” remained unknown to authorities until an anonymous caller notified the game commission.

At first, Pilarcik said, she denied she had the animal. But later she admitted she had it for two or three weeks.

The officer found the cub penned up in travel-style trailer.

“The cub was very small, maybe 10 pounds,” he said. “It was in good condition.”

Nicklas said she had been feeding the young bear formula for small animals that she had gotten from a veterinarian, Pilarcik said.

She told authorities that she was trying to find a wildlife rehabilitator to take the bear.

“It was not a smart thing to do,” Pilarcik said of Nicklas’ decision to take the bear home.

He said the woman should have immediately returned the cub to the vicinity of the woods from where it came.

“Put it up in a tree,” he said. “It’ll start bawling. Mom will be around and she’ll hear it.”

Nicklas is charged with unlawful taking or possession of game or wildlife

If convicted of the first-degree summary offense, she faces penalties of $1,000 to $1,500.

She did not return a telephone call Tuesday seeking comment.