At the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center, staff are wearing bear costumes to rehabilitate a two-month-old orphaned black bear cub found alone in Los Padres National Forest on April 12th, 2025.
The cub, the youngest ever cared for by the center, was rescued after his mother didn’t return despite efforts to reunite them. To prevent the cub from bonding with humans, which could hinder his ability to survive in the wild, staff don bear masks, fur coats, and leather gloves, and rub themselves with black-bear-scented hay. This minimizes human imprinting, crucial for his eventual release in about a year.
The cub, initially fragile at three pounds, has gained nearly 10 pounds and is thriving with round-the-clock feeding and enrichment activities mimicking natural behaviors, like climbing and foraging.
The center, the only facility in San Diego County permitted to rehabilitate apex predators, relies on donations for its efforts, as it receives no state funding.
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