Wildlife rehabilitators do a really neat thing to keep wild birds and animals from getting comfortable around humans. If they intend to release an animal back to its natural environment, they limit human contact. To do that, raptor rehabbers wear raptor masks. Crane rehabilitators wear full suits as they teach baby cranes to survive in the wild. When they are rehabbing an orphan bear cub, they use bear suits.
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Staff at the San Diego Humane Society Ramona Wildlife Center are currently working with an orphan bear cub. The cub is about two months old. He arrived at the facility underweight, weak, and alone. The cub has been at the wildlife center for a month. He is stable, playful, and thriving under their care. He has quadrupled in size since arriving at the center. This is the youngest bear they have ever had there.
To interact with the orphaned bear cub, staff dress in bear suits. While they don’t look very “authentic” to our eyes, the costumes are perfect for the cub. They use several stuffed bears that act as “siblings.” Staff use these stuffed bears to “fight” and “wrestle” with the cub.
Campers in the Los Padres National Forest found the cub. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) was unsuccessful in reuniting the cub with its mother, so they delivered him to the Ramona Center. Because the orphaned bear cub is so young, they expect him to be at the center with the Project Wildlife team for about a year.
Daily Routine For The Orphan Bear Cub
If another cub of a similar age enters the rehabilitation system, they may pair the two to help them grow and learn, and to prevent them from imprinting on humans. For now, the little cub enjoys four feeding and enrichment sessions daily. Caregivers will continue wearing the bear suits throughout the cub’s rehabilitation.
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