Orphaned cubs wander CA neighborhood for days without mom. See them after rescue
A pair of orphaned black bear cubs will have a second chance at life after they were rescued from wandering a California neighborhood for days without their mom, officials said.
Wildlife officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife never found the cubs’ mother and aren’t sure what happened to her, the San Diego Humane Society said in an Aug. 4 news release. The agency brought the 6-7-month-old cubs to the organization’s Ramona Wildlife Center for rehabilitation.
The two male cubs had wandered the neighborhood in Calaveras County along with their sister — but unfortunately the female cub had “a malformed shoulder and elbow, likely congenital, as well as a bb pellet embedded in her front paw,” officials said in the release.
“The deformities would have caused her chronic pain and lifelong mobility issues,” officials said. “In consultation with the CDFW, San Diego Humane Society’s veterinary team made the heartbreaking decision to humanely euthanize her to prioritize her welfare and prevent prolonged suffering.”
Alexis Wohl, wildlife veterinary manager at the San Diego Humane Society, said that while the decision to euthanize the cub was a hard call to make, it was the best one for her wellbeing.
“This is never a decision we take lightly,” Wohl said. “But in cases where an animal’s quality of life would be severely compromised, humane euthanasia is sometimes the most compassionate option.”
The healthy male cubs were moved into “a large outdoor enclosure designed to mimic their natural habitat,” and the wildlife team will care for them “as they grow stronger and prepare for potential release back into the wild, working closely with CDFW throughout the process.”
The Ramona Wildlife Center is the only facility in Southern California able to take in black bear cubs for rehabilitation because other centers are full, including Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue and Gold Country Wildlife Rescue, officials said.
“This is a critical moment for these bears,” said Autumn Welch, wildlife operations manager at the Ramona Wildlife Center. “We are doing everything we can to give them the best possible shot at returning to their wild home.”
Calaveras County is about an 80-mile drive southeast from Sacramento.
This story was originally published August 4, 2025 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Orphaned cubs wander CA neighborhood for days without mom. See them after rescue."
