Orphaned Black Bear Cub Care: Rehabilitation and Release at San Diego Humane Society
Caretakers at the San Diego Humane Society are currently looking after an orphaned black bear cub found by campers in California's Los Padres National Forest. The cub, who was taken in at nearly two months old, is the youngest black bear the organization has ever cared for. The goal is to rehabilitate and eventually release the cub back into the wild, so caretakers wear bear costumes to reduce the risk of him imprinting on humans. The costumes, made with real fur coats and black bear-scented hay, help the cub feel like he is being cared for by other bears.
The caretakers use their time in the cub's enclosure to teach him essential skills that his mother would have taught him, such as climbing, foraging for food, and building a nest. The cub's enclosure is filled with donated furs, trees, and hiding spots to simulate a den environment. Caretakers also provide the cub with teddy bears for comfort, and he often sleeps on and seeks shelter by a large teddy bear, which he may see as his mother. The staff at the San Diego Humane Society is dedicated to helping the cub thrive and eventually return to the wild.
The use of bear costumes by caretakers is a strategy employed to care for young wildlife without them imprinting on humans. The San Diego Humane Society had to order supplies, including bear masks, to care for the cub. The estimated cost of caring for the cub for a year is $72,000, but the staff considers it a labor of love to help these animals and see them thrive in their natural habitat. The ultimate goal is to release the cub back into the wild, where he can live and thrive as a wild bear.