Orphaned Bears Rehabilitated and Released Into California's San Bernardino Forest
Wildlife staff in southern California rehabilitated and returned three orphaned bear cubs to the wild, footage released on Thursday, April 27, shows.
Footage captured by the San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) shows the bears being sedated and transported safely to a location near San Bernardino National Forest on Wednesday.
According to the SDHS, the two females and one male cub were rescued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and brought to the SDHS’s Ramona Wildlife Center in July, 2022.
“An orphaned brother-sister pair came from the San Bernardino Mountains. Their mother had been conditioned to seek food from humans and was killed by a resident while attempting to break into a cabin. The third, a female cub, was rescued after her mother was likely hit by a car near Lake Arrowhead,” the society said.
The three cubs regained their strength in an outdoor enclosure at the center that closely mimicked their life in the wild and allowed the wildlife team to keep an eye on them from a distance during their nine-month stay.
The bears were also microchipped, fitted with GPS collars, and given a clean bill of health from a veterinary team.
“It is always our goal to rehabilitate and return all wildlife to their natural habitat,” said Andy Blue, campus director of Ramona Wildlife Center.
“This release was very special for our team because it was relatively close to us, so we had multiple wildlife rehab specialists joining to witness it firsthand," Blue added. Credit: San Diego Humane Society via Storyful
Video transcript
- Mark the front of the bear.
- Yeah.
- That should be marked right here.
- OK. I think it's just [INAUDIBLE] and just bend it down towards the back over there.
Just sit comfortable [INAUDIBLE].
- There you go.
- Move your fingers when we put it down. I think it'll be OK.
- I got it down there. We'll be all right.
- That's what I'm thinking. You'll get up here. And if you're OK [INAUDIBLE].
- Hey!
- Go, go!
- Bear-Bear, Bear-Bear, go!
- Did you get that?
- Yeah.
- Bear-Bear! You can whack him in the butt, Rudy.
- Hey, hey hey! Hey!
- Ah!
- Hey!
- Bear-Bear.
- Hey, hey!
- Go, go, go!
- Bear-Bear, Bear-Bear, go!
- Go, go!
- Did you get that?
- Yeah.
- You got--
