Latest news with #bearcub
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Shocking moment terrified bear cub is thrown out of a tall tree and bundled into a sack, prompting police probe
Police have launched an investigation after a bear cub was filmed being thrown out of a tall tree before being bundled into a sack in horror footage. The shocking incident took place near the village of Novaya Igirma, in the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia, earlier this week. The clip shows the small bear clinging to a pine tree as one of the men climbs up and tosses it to the ground from a height of at least a dozen feet. Another man is then seen grabbing the dazed cub by the scruff of its neck and forcing it into a sack as it writhes in distress. Cops were alerted after the footage surfaced on Telegram, where it caused widespread fury. A spokesperson for the Irkutsk Region police said officers had identified the area and urged the men involved to report to the nearest station. They were later tracked down and identified as three men who worked at a local production base who claimed they spotted the bear cub alone near the site where children were playing. Interior Ministry spokesperson Irina Volk said the men told officers they were worried the mother bear might be nearby and decided to return the cub to the forest further away. She said the animal had been frightened by the men when they tried to catch it and had climbed the tree out of fear. Volk added that the bear cub was later released back into its natural habitat. The bear was unharmed despite the rough handling, police confirmed. It comes after a group of six North Carolina fools were caught on camera tearing bear cubs out of a tree to take selfies, causing at least one of the cubs to be taken to a rehabilitation center. Six people in Buncombe County pulled the three bear cubs out of a tree near Berrington Village Apartments last month. Video obtained by WLOS shows the group carelessly grabbing the cubs out of the tree to pose for photos with them. After capturing the first cub, one of the women appears giddy, jumping up and down while holding the bear and getting ready to take photos with it. The group continued to attempt to drag the other two cubs, while one of the women dropped the cub as she was passing it to another person. The terrified cub fled from the group, running along the fence to get back to its siblings. Ashley Hobbs, a North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission special projects biologist, said when she arrived they found one cub described as being very wet, cold and alone for quite some time.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Orphaned bear cub finds comfort in a teddy bear and costumed caregivers
Autumn Welch dons a fur coat, leather gloves and a bear mask for work these days, then enters an enclosure to feed and fawn over a 12-pound (5.4 kg) black bear cub who she hopes will consider her family. The orphaned cub was about two months old when he was found April 12 in Southern California's Los Padres National Forest — weak, underweight and alone. Since then, the baby bear has been cared for by Welch's team with the San Diego Humane Society in sessions that mimic familial behaviors. The hope is to eventually return the cub to the wild.
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Cub found alone in US woods now being raised by wildlife staff in bear costumes
Human bears, some would say, are taking care of a two-month-old cub that spent days without his mother, starving in a California forest. The small black bear cub was rescued by campers in Los Padres national forest after being found alone and starving. The infant bear is now recovering at San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center, and is believed to be the youngest cub the organization has ever cared for. The two-month-old cub was discovered on 12 April by campers hiking in the forest. Wildlife officials with the California department of fish and wildlife (CDFW) attempted to reunite him with his mother overnight, but she didn't return. The cub was transferred to the Ramona facility two days later. 'The cub is thriving here. When he first arrived, he was only 3lbs and was a little debilitated, probably from going multiple days without any kind of nutrition or hydration,' said Autumn Welch, wildlife operations manager at the center. 'He's now quadrupled in size, he's over 12lbs.' Now thriving after more than a month of around-the-clock care, the cub is expected to remain at the center for up to a year. Staff are using enrichment sessions that mimic maternal behavior to prepare him for a future return to the wild, including staff members dressed as bears, plush toys and camouflaged headsets. Welch said that keeping bears away from human interaction when they are young is key to avoiding conflicts in the future, once they're released in the wild. 'They're really smart and very food motivated,' Welch said. 'As we continue to develop in the areas they live, they're always being pushed into areas where people may have some type of conflict with them. 'Sometimes bears will get into trashes or get into people's yards,' she added. 'The more we can keep this cub wild and keep him from recognizing humans as the providers of anything good, we're hoping every time we go in there, he's seeing us as other bears and being able to identify with us as bears instead of humans.' Officials say he could eventually be paired with another orphaned cub to help his development and minimize human imprinting. Welch said the CDFW determines the site of where any of the bear cubs and rehabs go after they are released into the wild. The department takes into consideration a number of factors, such as where the bear was found, what the population is like in that area, if there's any human wildlife conflict, and whether the site will provide for their nutrition needs. She estimates the recently found cub won't be released until the end of next spring or early summer. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion 'At that point, they've grown quite a bit,' Welch said. 'They're usually around 130 to 150lbs and they get fitted with the GPS collar because the government biologists track them and see where their movements are and what they're doing for a whole year after release.' CDFW said this is only the fourth bear cub this young to enter rehab care in California in the past five years. Raising such a young animal, Welch said, requires extensive time, expertise and funding – none of which comes from the state. The San Diego Humane Society relies solely on donations to sustain its wildlife rehabilitation efforts. The Ramona Wildlife Center is the only facility in San Diego county permitted to rehabilitate native apex predators, including black bears, mountain lions and bobcats. 'This is a very unusual case,' Welch said in a press release. '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.'
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Adorable bear cub is flourishing after being found abandoned and malnourished
An abandoned bear cub who was found starving in a California forest is now thriving in his new shelter. The two-month-old male arrived to the shelter 'weak, underweight, and alone', according to the San Diego Humane Society. Campers in Los Padres National Forest discovered the orphaned black bear cub on April 12. California Department Of Fish And Wildlife (CDFW) biologists tried to reunite the baby with his mother by returning him to the wild overnight. However, she did not return for him, and with no signs of a mama bear in the area, the cub was transported to San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center on April 14. Autumn Welch, Wildlife Operations Manager at the center, said: 'He was extremely fragile when he arrived. 'This is a very unusual case. We don't often see bears this young without their mother.' The baby bear had health problems, and, combined with his young age, his caregivers were worried he might not make it. Welch said: '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 San Diego Humane Society said the bear receives four enrichment and feeding sessions daily, with overnight feedings required in his early days to help stabilize him. Daily care: The shelter said the bear receives four enrichment and feeding sessions each day Photos from the enrichment sessions show staff wearing wildlife costumes and mimicking maternal behaviors to prevent the cub from forming an emotional attachment to humans. Other snaps show the cub playing with toys, chewing on leaves, and drinking from a bottle. The San Diego Humane Society said it does not receive state funding and depends on community contributions to care for wild animals in need. Welch said: '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.' Male black bears can grow up to be 500lb and have powerful limbs and well-developed claws on large, strong paws. The caregivers expect him to remain with them for up to a year and hope to release the bear cub back into the wild one day.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
America's cutest bear cub is thriving in shelter after being abandoned by his mother
An adorable bear cub who was discovered abandoned and starving in a California forest is now thriving in his new shelter, where he receives round-the-clock care. The two-month-old male arrived to the shelter 'weak, underweight and alone,' according to the San Diego Humane Society. Campers in Los Padres National Forest discovered the orphaned black bear cub on April 12. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) biologists tried to reunite the baby with his mother by returning him to the wild overnight. However, she did not return for him, and with no signs of a mama bear in the area, the cub was transported to San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center on April 14. 'He was extremely fragile when he arrived,' said Autumn Welch, Wildlife Operations Manager at the center. 'This is a very unusual case. We don't often see bears this young without their mother.' The baby bear had health problems, and, combined with his young age, his caregivers were worried he might not make it. The baby bear had concerning health problems, and combined with his young age, his caregivers were worried he might not make it 'After going several days without nutrition, it was touch-and-go at first,' Welch said. 'But now, he's active, eating well and gaining weight steadily.' The humane society said the bear receives four enrichment and feeding sessions daily, with overnight feedings required in his early days to help stabilize him. Photos from the enrichment sessions show staff wearing hilarious wildlife costumes and mimicking maternal behaviors. The shelter said they wear the costumes to prevent him from imprinting and forming an emotional attachment to humans. Other snaps show the adorable cub playing with toys, chewing on leaves and drinking from a bottle. The San Diego Humane Society said it does not receive state funding and depends on community contributions to care for wild animals in need. '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,' Welch said. The CDFW said he is only the fourth bear cub this young to enter rehab care in California in the past five years. Male black bears can grow up to be 500 pounds and have powerful limbs and well-developed claws on large, strong paws. The caregivers expect him to remain with them for up to a year and hope to release the bear cub back into the wild one day.
