PHOTOS | San Diego Humane Society nurtures youngest black bear cub after rescue – cbs8.com

RAMONA, Calif. — San Diego Humane Society has spent the last 30 days caring for the youngest black bear cub the organization has ever taken in. The two-month-old cub is now stable — but it took effort. 
He was weak, underweight and alone. One month later he’s now stable, playful and thriving with expert care at the organization’s Ramona Wildlife Center. 
The cub was found on April 12 by campers in the Los Padres National Forest. The CA Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists first tried to help the cub reunite with his mother in the wild, but the mother never returned and there was no sign of mom in the area. 
CDFW brought the cub to Ramona two days later. 

“He was extremely fragile when he arrived,” said Autumn Welch, Wildlife Operations Manager at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center. “After going several days without nutrition, it was touch-and-go at first. But now, he’s active, eating well and gaining weight steadily.”
The cub will remain in Humane Society’s care for up to a year due to his age and condition. SDHS hopes to return him to the wild. If another cub needs care somewhere in California, the CDFW might try to pair them. This is a strategy used to keep orphaned cubs wild and reduce the risk of imprinting on humans.
Only three other cubs this young in the past five years have come into rehab care in California, according to CDFW. 
Raising a cub isn’t easy, SDHS says. It requires an extensive amount of time, expertise and resources. Right now, he’s receiving four enrichment and feeding sessions daily and overnight feedings to help stabilize him. The enrichment sessions mimic motherly behaviors and help prepare him for life in the wild. 
“This is a very unusual case,” said Welch. “We don’t often see bears this young without their mother. It’s an honor to care for him, but it’s also a significant commitment. We rely entirely on donations to make this kind of specialized care possible.”
SDHS does not name its wildlife patients to avoid any human-animal connections since the goal is to return him to the wild. 
San Diego Humane Society receives no state funding for this work and depends on community contributions to care for wild animals in need, you can donate here. The Ramona Wildlife Center is the only facility in San Diego County permitted to rehabilitate native apex predators like black bears, mountain lions and bobcats.
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