Two orphaned California black bear cubs have found a new home at the San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center after their mother was tragically found dead in the San Bernardino National Forest. According to Fox 5 San Diego, the cubs, both male and roughly three to four months old, were deemed too young to survive on their own, as black bear cubs typically need to stay with their mother for up to 17 months.
The cause of the mother bear's death remains unknown, but wildlife officials have not ruled out the possibility of human involvement or a lethal encounter with another bear, per KTLA. A California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) team rescued the first cub on July 4 and the second cub three days later. The cubs are now settling into their new environment at the Ramona Wildlife Center, where animal caregivers have set up an indoor/outdoor medical facility complete with native plants and substrates to help them acclimate to their natural habitat.
Upon reuniting at the Ramona Wildlife Center, it was apparent that the brothers were glad to be back 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 according to Fox 5 San Diego. The goal now is to raise the cubs with minimal human interaction before releasing them into the wild early next year.
Wildlife officials' prompt intervention in rescuing the orphaned bear cubs was crucial due to the risks they faced from other animals that could prey on them KTLA detailed. The Ramona Wildlife Center, one of four licensed bear rehabilitation centers in California, has a history of successfully rehabilitating and releasing bears back into the wild according to the Victorville Daily Press. In June, it was reported that two other bear cubs were released into the wild after spending five months at the center, highlighting the crucial role such organizations play in giving wild animals a second chance at life.
The Ramona Wildlife Center is part of the San Diego Humane Society's Project Wildlife program, which serves as the primary resource for wild animal rehabilitation and conservation education in San Diego County. The center specializes in caring for native apex predators and birds of prey, providing injured, orphaned, and sick wild animals a much-needed respite and an opportunity to return to their natural habitat.
As the orphaned bear cubs continue to grow and thrive under the watchful eye of dedicated animal caregivers, the hope is that they will soon be able to return to the wild where they belong, a feat that the Romona Wildlife Center accomplished with a male and a female black bear cub just a few months ago. The two previous cubs were also orphaned before they were old enough to fend for themselves.
