San Diego Wildlife Rescuers Dress As Bears To Comfort Orphaned Cub

May 24, 2025

Staff at the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center are going the extra mile for a tiny black bear cub.

humane society dress as bears to care for cub
San Diego Humane Society

The cub, estimated to be just two months old, was found alone and underweight by campers in Los Padres National Forest on April 12, 2025. Biologists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife tried to reunite him with his mother overnight, but she never returned.

With no mom in sight, the cub was brought to the Humane Society’s Project Wildlife team, where he’s been receiving round-the-clock care. Now thriving after 30 days of recovery, the playful little bear is growing stronger every day.

To give him the best chance of returning to the wild, caregivers don bear suits during feedings and interactions — a clever way to prevent him from bonding too closely with humans.

@sdhumanesociety You might want to sit down for this one — the level of cuteness in this video is un-bear-able! Meet the newest patient at our Ramona Wildlife Center: a 2-month-old black bear cub, and the youngest bear we’ve ever cared for in our organization’s history. #bearcub #babybear #orphanedwildlife #orphanedanimal #babyanimal #babyseason #funnyanimal #funnybear #humanesociety ♬ original sound - Annika Hinds

The goal is to care for the cub for up to a year before hopefully releasing him back into his natural habitat. Until then, he’s in the loving (and furry) hands of some truly dedicated animal heroes.