Three Orphaned Bear Cubs Move to California Wildlife Center for a Second Chance

Three black bear cubs are preparing to tackle the world on their own.

According to a San Diego Humane Society release, the trio of animals recently moved into the nonproft's Ramona Wildlife Center in Ramona, California, for rehabilitation. Two of the bears, who are siblings, arrived from Valley of Falls in the San Bernardino Mountains, while the third unrelated bear came from Lake Arrowhead.

The San Diego Humane Society shared that the two Valley of Falls bears were orphaned after a civilian killed their mother — who was conditioned to seek food from humans — after the animal attempted to break into a cabin. Rescuers believe the unrelated cub's mother was hit and killed by a car.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) rescued all of the bears and brought them to the wildlife center on different dates in July. Now, all of the cubs are focusing on recovering from their hardships and returning to the wild.

Courtesy of San Diego Humane Society

Courtesy of San Diego Humane Society

"Typically, the cubs would stay with their mother for about two years," Andy Blue, the campus director of San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center, said in a statement. "Cubs can be weaned at six to eight months but remain with their mother to learn to hunt and forage. Without their mother to protect them, young cubs of this size can be predated by other bears, mountain lions, coyotes, and other predators."

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The Ramona Wildlife Center offers the cub trio a place to learn, practice, and perfect their survival skills while growing into large, healthy bears. Once the animals can care for themselves, they will be released into the wild.

Courtesy of San Diego Humane Society

All of the bears will soon undergo health exams and complete a quarantine period at the wildlife center. Once the quarantine is complete, the cubs will transition from their indoor enclosures to a large outdoor enclosure, with access to trees, shrubs, and plenty of land. Here, the bears will master climbing, foraging, and other skills, per the San Diego Humane Society.

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To ensure that the bears have the best chances of surviving the wilderness, the Ramona Wildlife Center is keeping human contact with the cubs to a minimum. The San Diego Humane Society's efforts to help these bears are part of the organization's Project Wildlife program, which provides care for 13,000 injured, orphaned, and sick wild animals each year.