SAN DIEGO — A wildlife rehabilitation facility is helping California bear cubs get a second chance to thrive in the wild.
Preparing food for the bear cubs takes up a majority of Rachel Duckett’s time as a wildlife rehabilitation specialist. She checks every single piece of food for quality.
“I mean, if we’re not doing all that we can in rehab, what are we doing?" she said. "We want to set them up for success.”
Duckett works at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center, which specializes in caring for native apex predators and birds of prey who are injured, orphaned or sick.
In February, a female California black bear cub was brought there after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife found her thin and abandoned near Bakersfield. In December 2022, a male California black bear cub was rescued near Bishop and brought in for care.
Duckett said their outdoor enclosures mimic life in the wild and they use trail cameras to keep a watchful eye from a distance.
“We want them to not see people as the source of food or wanting to have anything to do with them," she said. "Limiting human contact will just let them rely on their natural instincts for foraging and finding food on their own in the wild.”
Andy Blue is the director of Ramona Wildlife Center and has worked in animal welfare for 40 years. He said there have been an unusual number of orphaned bear cubs found late last year and early this year, and it’s possible the flooding of dens from the heavy rains may be causing cubs to be separated from their mothers.
“We’re one of four facilities that can hold and rehab California black bears and it’s just beginning our busy season,” Blue said. “So for us, bringing in the babies is usually our biggest line of work.”
Blue said a big part of their job is making sure the cubs are prepared to survive on their own and forage for food in the wild and don’t get comfortable around humans.
“It’s important to remember that every animal that comes through here is either sick, orphaned or injured,” Blue said. “They’re expensive animals to keep. We’re committed to helping them any way that we can, but they eat about $4,000 worth of food a month and so as much as we like having them, we sure like getting them back out in the wild.”
Two females and one male were released at the end of April in the San Bernardino National Forest after spending nine months in their care. All three cubs were rescued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and brought to the Ramona Wildlife Center in July 2022. The bears were microchipped, fitted with a GPS collar and given a clean bill of health.
Duckett and Blue are getting ready for any new bears who come to them needing help.
“It’s a gift," Duckett said. "Every day, I have my dream job and it’s not work when you love what you do.”
Bear cubs are typically born in February and March. Blue said they hope to release the rest of the cubs by the end of May.