The Ramona Wildlife Center just got its newest and youngest member. In April 2025, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife found a malnourished 2-month-old male bear cub in the Los Padres National Forest. The poor thing had been abandoned by its mother and was all alone. Therefore, biologists took it back with them and gave it to the San Diego Humane Society-operated sanctuary. Now, caretakers have developed a practical, yet somewhat creepy, way of caring for this adorable abandoned bear cub.
The Effective Yet Creepy Way The Sanctuary Is Caring For The Abandoned Bear Cub
When this poor little cub arrived at the wildlife center, he was not in the best shape. Autumn Welch, the center's Wildlife Operations Manager, shared, "He was extremely fragile when he arrived." Due to his fragility and age, he needed constant care from the caretakers. However, their goal was to eventually return him to the wild. This means that the abandoned bear cub could not form an attachment or dependency on humans.
So, how can caretakers get in there to feed and care for the cub without having him imprint on them? Simple: They go in disguise. When caretakers enter his enclosure, they put on" bear masks and creepy leaf-laden hoods." This allows them to blend in or look more like a mama bear than this cub would have in the wild.
The caretakers still enter the abandoned bear cub's enclosure in disguise. The San Diego Humane Society shared a video on Facebook that showed some of the bear's daily activities. Those activities included playing with a stuffed bear, grabbing a little snack, and exploring his enclosure. While I think the bear mask and costumes are a bit on the creepy side, I am so happy that this wildlife center is doing everything they can to safely rehabilitate this bear and return it to the wild.
