Three Orphaned Bear Cubs Return to Wild
San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife raised and rehabilitated cubs.
Three bear cubs returned to the wild after spending nine months at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center for care and rehabilitation! The two females and one male were released in the San Bernardino National Forest.
All three cubs were rescued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and brought to the Ramona Wildlife Center in July of 2022. An orphaned brother-sister pair came from the San Bernardino Mountains. Their mother had been conditioned to seek food from humans and was killed by a resident while attempting to break into a cabin. The third, a female cub, was rescued after her mother was likely hit by a car near Lake Arrowhead.
Since their arrival, the three cubs have grown healthy and strong together at the Ramona Wildlife Center in an outdoor enclosure that closely mimics life in the wild. San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife team has kept a watchful eye from a distance, making sure the bears did not become comfortable around humans and were prepared to survive on their own and forage for food. The bears have also been microchipped, fitted with a GPS collar and given a clean bill of health from Project Wildlife’s veterinary team.
There are two bear cubs still in care at the Ramona Wildlife Center. With this latest release, the center is making space for new orphaned bears found in the wild this season, as bear cubs are typically born in February and March. “It is always our goal to rehabilitate and return all wildlife to their natural habitat,” said Andy Blue, campus director of San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center. “This release in Clark’s Ranch was very special for our team because it was relatively close to us, so we had multiple wildlife rehab specialists joining to witness it firsthand.”
Published: April 28, 2023
