SAN DIEGO — An orphaned California black bear cub is now safe and growing strong at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center. The cub weighs approximately 30 pounds and appears to be in good health.
The approximately 7-month-old cub was rescued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) in Bishop, CA on Dec. 15, 2022 and transferred to San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife program for care.
SDHS said the cub had been reported showing habituation to people in the Bishop area, prior to being trapped and transported by CDFW to the Ramona Wildlife Center.
Project Wildlife’s caretakers say the cub is eating a diet of eggs, honey, grasses, walnuts, gruel and fish.
“This little bear is very active and eating well.” said Andy Blue, campus director of San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center “It is our goal to get them stronger and keep them healthy for at least three months, so they can return to the wild where they belong.”
Orphaned Bear Cub Now Safe at Ramona Wildlife Center
The cub is currently being housed at the Ramona Wildlife Center’s hospital facility with indoor-outdoor access. SDHS said they plan to move the bear to a larger enclosure soon, so it has access to trees and shrubs. This will allow the bear to get acclimated to the weather and have more opportunities to run, climb, play and forage for food.
Typically bear cubs would stay with their mother for about two years, so the Project Wildlife team says they will work hard to minimize human contact with their patients, to reduce their risk of habitation or food conditioning, and increase the cub's chance of survival in the wild.
There are now a total of four California black bear cubs at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center. The three other cubs arrived separately in July and will be released back into the wild next spring, SDHS said.
San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife program is the primary resource for wild animal rehabilitation and conservation education in San Diego County. For more information, click here.
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