SAN DIEGO — A California black bear cub arrived at San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center for rehabilitation and care, it was announced Wednesday.
According to the San Diego Humane Society, the female cub, believed to be ten months old, was rescued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Dec. 18 in Bakersfield.
Biologists examined the black bear cub in the wild and found her 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.
"This is unusual for us to get a cub that we believe may be associated with the flooding and that came from the biologists that work up in that area," said Andy Blue, San Diego Humane Society Ramona Wildlife Center Campus Director.
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 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 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 cautious 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 will be released back into the wild next spring.
The San Diego Humane Society says feed costs about $4,000 a month per bear, and that doesn't include labor or medical care. They accept donations to help with the costs.
WATCH RELATED: 2 orphaned bear cubs in care at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center (Sep 2, 2021)