Photos of an orphaned black bear cub has captured the hearts of wildlife rehabbers (and basically everyone who sees it). The San Diego Humane Society recently announced it has been caring for the youngest black bear cub the organization has ever taken in. The two-month-old orphaned cub arrived in April, underweight and alone.
Campers in California’s Los Padres National Forest first came across the bear cub. Concerned, the Good Samaritans directed California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) biologists to the cub. After attempting to find the baby bear’s mother, biologists ultimately brought the baby to the San Diego Humane Society for round-the-clock care.
[RELATED: WATCH: Adorable Bear Cubs Cross the Road to Reach Mom]
A month later, the society has released photos of the baby bear, and they’re un-bear-ably cute. While the circumstances under which this bear entered human care are sad, the baby is lucky to have careful care and a bright future back in the wild.
“Because of his age and condition, the cub will likely need to remain in care for up to a year,” the Humane Society said in a press release. “The hope is to ultimately return him to the wild, and if another cub enters care elsewhere in California, CDFW may try to pair them—a critical strategy to keep orphaned cubs wild and reduce the risk of imprinting on humans.”
See photos (and a video) of the orphaned bear cub here:
Header image provided by San Diego Humane Society