3 Orphaned Bear Cubs In 'Excellent Health,' Move To Outside Enclosure

RAMONA, CA — Three orphaned California black bear cubs, transferred to San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center for rehabilitation about a month ago, have passed their health exams and have been housed together to grow strong until they are ready to return to the wild, the organization announced Thursday.

The cubs are playing together, investigating their habitat and learning to forage for food, according to the Humane Society.

Two of the cubs were rescued from Valley of Falls in the San Bernardino Mountains, and the third was rescued from Lake Arrowhead, according to the Humane Society. The bears arrived on separate dates, after being rescued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

• Previous coverage: 3 Orphaned Bear Cubs Being Rehabilitated At Ramona Wildlife Center

The first two cubs are about 6 months old. The siblings became orphaned after their mother, who was conditioned to seek food from people, was killed by a civilian while attempting to break into a cabin in Valley of the Falls, according to the Humane Society. The first cub arrived at the Ramona Wildlife Center on July 9, and the second arrived on July 12. The third unrelated cub arrived on July 15. That cub's mother is believed to have been hit by a car near Lake Arrowhead.

The Humane Society's Project Wildlife team kept the cubs separate for 48 hours, before placing them together in an indoor-outdoor enclosure.

"The single female cub, who is actually much bigger than the two siblings, was rather shy and quiet in the beginning," said Dr. Jon Enyart, senior director of Project Wildlife. "It took some time for the brother and sister to invite her into their family, but now they do everything together."

On Aug. 4, the Project Wildlife veterinary team anesthetized all three bears for their first physical exam, which included blood work, radiographs of every limb and portion of the body, a check of their teeth, as well as measuring their paw pads, body length and width, according to the Humane Society. The bears were also microchipped.

The veterinary team found all three bears were in "excellent health," according to the Humane Society. After they woke up, the cubs were moved to a full outside enclosure for the first time.

"It is so important that these bears do not get comfortable around humans and associate us people with food," said Andy Blue, campus director of the Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center. "For their own safety and the safety of the public, we want them to avoid humans at all cost, and learn how to forage and hunt so that they can survive on their own in the wild."

The Humane Society's Project Wildlife program is the primary resource for wild animal rehabilitation and conservation education in San Diego County.

Each year, the organization gives more than 13,000 injured, orphaned and sick wild animals a second chance. In 2020, the Humane Society opened its Ramona campus, where they specialize in caring for native apex predators and birds of prey, including eagles, hawks, owls, bears, bobcats, coyotes, and, under special pilot authorization, mountain lions.