Orphaned Black Bear Cubs Arrive at Ramona Wildlife Center
Two young California black bear cubs are getting a second chance at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center after they were found near their deceased mother in the San Bernardino National Forest. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) began tracking the cubs, once they located the deceased mother. At only five months old, the bear cub brothers would have been too young to survive on their own. Black bear cubs typically need to stay with their mother, or sow, for up to 17 months.
The first cub was rescued by CDFW on July 4, 2023, and the second, smaller cub, on July 7, 2023. Once reunited at the Ramona Wildlife Center it was clear the brothers were happy to be together. “They were vocalizing and immediately re-bonded with each other,” said Andy Blue, campus director of San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center. “Our goal now is to raise them with limited to no human interaction and get them ready to return to the wild.”
The two cubs are currently housed in an indoor/outdoor medical facility, where Project Wildlife’s animal caregivers have set up an environment with native plants and substrate, such as California live oak, pine, clover, mulberry branches, fruit tree branches, mulch, humming bird sage, sumac, chamomile flowers and herbs. Next steps will include an anesthetized exam of each bear and, once ready, a move to a larger outdoor enclosure, allowing them to exhibit more natural behaviors. Project Wildlife’s team hopes to return the bears to the wild early next year.
Published: July 12, 2023
