Orphaned Black Bear Cub Will Grow Up At Ramona Wildlife Center

SAN DIEGO, CA — A California black bear cub arrived at San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center for rehabilitation and care, it was announced today.

The female cub, believed to be 10 months old, was rescued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Dec. 18 in Bakersfield, according to the San Diego Humane Society.

Biologists examined the black bear cub in the wild and found her to be thin and abandoned. She was captured and brought to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care for rehabilitation before coming to the San Diego Humane Society last week on Jan. 26.

There has been an unusually high number of orphaned bear cubs found late last year and early this year, likely due to the heavy rains Southern California has received as of late.

It is possible dens were getting flooded, which separated cubs from their mothers, according to the Humane Society.

The 10-month-old cub will be housed at San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center and will room with a male black bear cub who was rescued from Bishop in December of last year, according to the Humane Society.

As with most wild mammals, the cubs will exhibit more natural behaviors when they are housed with others their same age. For the next three months, the two cubs are expected to stay in a pre-release enclosure outdoors, with access to trees, shrubs and natural substrate. The bears will continue to become acclimated to the weather and have opportunities to run, climb, play and
forage for food, the Humane Society said in a release.

"As soon as they are strong and healthy enough, we want to return them to the wild,'' Andy Blue, campus director of San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center said. ''The next few months will be crucial, because we don't want these cubs to get comfortable around humans, so our team will be very careful to ensure their stay with us mimics life in the wild."

San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center is now tending to five California black bear cubs. Three cubs arrived separately last July, and they will be released back into the wild next spring.

City News Service contributed to this report.