Hiker risked jail to rescue baby bear

The hiker who risked a year in jail to save a baby black bear he encountered on a trail has opened up about his deed, saying he would do it again.

Photographer Corey Hancock was hiking a scenic trail in Oregon when he came across a frail three-month-old baby bear.

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"I didn't have a choice, I wouldn't have left it out there," he told Inside Edition.

"He seemed to be abandoned and dying. He was hardly moving at first when I walked up on him. I thought he was dead."

Corey rescued the animal and carried him for over two miles.

He then took the bear to a wildlife centre in Oregon where he is recovering well but he can never be returned to the wild.

While animal experts say that Corey was out of line to help the bear, he maintains that he made the right decision.