A pair of black bear cubs are catching their breath in San Diego after they were found wandering through a Northern California neighborhood last month.
Wildlife officials say they don’t know what happened to the bear’s mother, but knew that the cubs needed help.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife rescued the cubs and brought them to the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center on July 24. Veterinarians examined the cubs and estimate they’re 6 to 7 months old.
The bears were found in a residential neighborhood in Calaveras County, the San Diego Humane Society announced Monday in a news release.
The nonprofit is one of the only facilities in Southern California with the space to rehabilitate black bear cubs as other wildlife rescues in the state are full, according to the nonprofit.
Veterinarians received three bears from Calaveras County — two males and a female. They were given dental exams, X-rays and other assessments while under anesthesia on July 31. Veterinarians determined the female cub had a malformed shoulder and elbow, along with a BB pellet embedded in her paw, the nonprofit said.
After consulting with state wildlife officials, veterinarians concluded the cub would have suffered chronic pain and mobility issues for the rest of her life, so they decided to euthanize her.
“This is never a decision we take lightly,” Alexis Wohl, wildlife veterinary manager at the San Diego Humane Society, said in a statement. “But in cases where an animal’s quality of life would be severely compromised, humane euthanasia is sometimes the most compassionate option.”
The other two cubs are now recuperating at the facility, which includes a large outdoor enclosure.
There is no timeline for when the cubs will be released back into the wild, but the nonprofit will work with state wildlife officials to determine when that will happen.
“This is a critical moment for these bears,” Autumn Welch, wildlife operations manager at the nonprofit, said in a statement. “We are doing everything we can to give them the best possible shot at returning to their wild home.”
