2-Month-Old Black Bear Cub Abandoned by Mother Undergoes Rehabilitation at Wildlife Center: See the Cute Photos!

A 2-month-old bear cub, who was rescued from the forest, is “thriving” again after being abandoned by his mother.

The San Diego Humane Society shared in a news release on Wednesday, May 14 that it took in the black bear cub — which is the youngest the organization has ever brought in — after he was found alone in the Los Padres National Forest.

The organization said campers found the cub on April 12 and reported the sighting to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), which tried to reunite the cub with its mother. However, the mother bear never returned to the area and so the cub was transported to the San Diego Humane Society for rehabilitation.

“He was extremely fragile when he arrived,” Autumn Welch, Wildlife Operations Manager at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center, said, per the release. “After going several days without nutrition, it was touch-and-go at first. But now, he’s active, eating well and gaining weight steadily.”

The San Diego Humane Society noted that the cub, which originally “arrived weak, underweight and alone,” was “now stable, playful and thriving” due to “round-the-clock attention and expert care” at the wildlife center. They noted that the bear would ”likely need to remain in care for up to a year.”

The organization shared several photos of the cub during its rehabilitation, including several cute snaps of him nestled next to a large brown plush teddy bear. He could also be seen climbing and lounging in trees placed inside his room.

Additional photos showed a staff member in a black bear mask and black fur interacting with the cub and holding him. The cub could also be seen being fed a bottle by a staff member cloaked in foliage and sleeping in furs.

The organization noted that this was intentional as they wanted to prevent the cub from imprinting on a human because they hoped to ultimately return the black bear back into the wild. They also noted that if another cub is taken elsewhere in California, the CDFW “may try to pair them,” which is a “critical strategy to keep orphaned cubs wild.”

“This is a very unusual case,” Welch said, per the release. “We don’t often see bears this young without their mother. It’s an honor to care for him, but it’s also a significant commitment. We rely entirely on donations to make this kind of specialized care possible.”

The CDFW noted that this bear is “only the fourth bear cub this young in the past five years” to be placed in a rehabilitation center in California.

The agency noted in the release that raising a bear cub from this young age requires “an extraordinary amount of time, expertise and resources.” This cub in particular “receives four enrichment and feeding sessions each day” and sessions that “mimic maternal behaviors and help prepare the cub for life in the wild.”

According to the CDFW’s website, male black bears can grow to weigh between 150 and 400 lbs. The animals are described as “excellent climbers” that can “quickly scale trees.” The agency said there are approximately 80,000 black bears across California.