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Awwwww....... a little feel good story....
Human bears, some would say, are taking care of a two-month-old cub that spent days without his mother, starving in a California forest.
The small black bear cub was rescued by campers in Los Padres national forest after being found alone and starving. The infant bear is now recovering at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center, and is believed to be the youngest cub the organization has ever cared for.
The two-month-old cub was discovered on 12 April by campers hiking in the forest. Wildlife officials with the California department of fish and wildlife (CDFW) attempted to reunite him with his mother overnight, but she didn’t return. The cub was transferred to the Ramona facility two days later.
“The cub is thriving here. When he first arrived, he was only 3lbs and was a little debilitated, probably from going multiple days without any kind of nutrition or hydration,” said Autumn Welch, wildlife operations manager at the center. “He’s now quadrupled in size, he’s over 12lbs.”
Now thriving after more than a month of around-the-clock care, the cub is expected to remain at the center for up to a year. Staff are using enrichment sessions that mimic maternal behavior to prepare him for a future return to the wild, including staff members dressed as bears, plush toys and camouflaged headsets.
Welch said that keeping bears away from human interaction when they are young is key to avoiding conflicts in the future, once they’re released in the wild.
Cub found alone in US woods now being raised by wildlife staff in bear costumes
Human bears, some would say, are taking care of a two-month-old cub that spent days without his mother, starving in a California forest.
The small black bear cub was rescued by campers in Los Padres national forest after being found alone and starving. The infant bear is now recovering at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center, and is believed to be the youngest cub the organization has ever cared for.
The two-month-old cub was discovered on 12 April by campers hiking in the forest. Wildlife officials with the California department of fish and wildlife (CDFW) attempted to reunite him with his mother overnight, but she didn’t return. The cub was transferred to the Ramona facility two days later.
“The cub is thriving here. When he first arrived, he was only 3lbs and was a little debilitated, probably from going multiple days without any kind of nutrition or hydration,” said Autumn Welch, wildlife operations manager at the center. “He’s now quadrupled in size, he’s over 12lbs.”
Now thriving after more than a month of around-the-clock care, the cub is expected to remain at the center for up to a year. Staff are using enrichment sessions that mimic maternal behavior to prepare him for a future return to the wild, including staff members dressed as bears, plush toys and camouflaged headsets.
Welch said that keeping bears away from human interaction when they are young is key to avoiding conflicts in the future, once they’re released in the wild.
Cub found alone in US woods now being raised by wildlife staff in bear costumes
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