A black bear cub trio was rescued from the hills in Northern California and taken to a wildlife center in Southern California for treatment.
The orphaned siblings, about 7 months old, had been seen wandering alone in a Calaveras County neighborhood for several days, according to the San Diego Humane Society.
Since the cubs’ mother was never located, and her fate remains unknown, the bears were brought to the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife rescued the bears, which arrived at the Ramona Wildlife Center on July 24.
San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife Bear care
At the center, the bears underwent a comprehensive health evaluation under anesthesia on July 31. Project Wildlife’s veterinary team confirmed their genders — two males and one female — and performed dental exams, radiographs, and other diagnostics to assess their condition.
Every year, the San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife gives more than 10,000 injured, orphaned and sick wild animals a second chance, many from San Bernardino County.
Heartbreaking decision
“Sadly, the female cub was found to have a malformed shoulder and elbow, likely congenital, as well as a bullet embedded in her front paw,” humane society officials said. “The deformities would have caused her chronic pain and lifelong mobility issues.”
After consulting with the wildlife and humane society’s veterinary team, the "heartbreaking decision" was made to humanely euthanize the female bear to prevent prolonged suffering, the humane society said.
“This is never a decision we take lightly,” said Wildlife Veterinary Manager at San Diego Humane Society, Dr. Alexis Wohl. “In cases where an animal’s quality of life would be severely compromised, humane euthanasia is sometimes the most compassionate option.”
Preparing for release
The two male cubs are healthy and were moved to a large outdoor enclosure designed to mimic their natural habitat.
San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife team will continue to care for the cubs as they grow stronger and prepare for potential release back into the wild, working closely with California Department of Fish and Wildlife throughout the process.
San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center remains the only facility in California currently able to accept black bear cubs for rehabilitation, as other centers — including Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue and Gold Country Wildlife Rescue — are at capacity.
“This is a critical moment for these bears," Autumn Welch, wildlife operations manager at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center said. “We are doing everything we can to give them the best possible shot at returning to their wild home.”
San Diego Humane Society receives no state funding for its wildlife work and relies entirely on donations to support its efforts.
The Ramona Wildlife Center is the only facility in San Diego County permitted to rehabilitate native apex predators, including black bears, mountain lions and bobcats.
For more information, or to support the San Diego Humane Society, visit sdhumane.org.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Rescued orphaned bear cubs get treated in Southern California
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