Two California black bear cubs are back in the wild after spending 10 months growing up at San Diego Humane Society's (SDHS) Ramona Wildlife Center, it was announced Wednesday.
The bears, who are brothers, were released by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) in the San Bernardino National Forest last week, near where they were first found.
In July 2023, CDFW began tracking the cubs once they located the bears' deceased mother. At five months old, the cubs would have been too young to survive on their own, a statement from the SDHS said.
Black bear cubs typically need to stay with their mother, or sow, for up to 17 months. The first cub was rescued by CDFW on July 4, 2023, and the second, smaller cub, on July 7, 2023.
Since those dates, San Diego Humane Society's wildlife rehab specialists have watched over the bears with minimal contact to ensure they would not become habituated to humans, the statement continues. The bears were kept in an outdoor enclosure mimicking their natural environment with native plants and substrate, such as California live oak, pine, clover, mulberry branches, fruit tree branches, mulch, hummingbird sage, sumac, chamomile flowers and herbs.
According to the humane society, they were fed plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, peanut butter and bear chow daily. Once the bears showed they could successfully forage for food and survive on their own, they were ready for release.
"It's a delicate skill to raise wild bears in captivity," said Andy Blue, campus director of San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center. "Bears eat more than 10 pounds of food per day, so to ensure they are fed without our staff ever being seen, and that they have plenty of enrichment to exhibit their natural behaviors without leaving human scents behind, takes meticulous planning."
The bears have been microchipped, fitted with GPS collars and given a clean bill of health from San Diego Humane Society's wildlife veterinary team.
