Watch as vets treat a hairless, orphaned black bear cub rescued in California
An orphaned black bear cub is one step closer to living a healthy life after being rescued by a community in Northern California.
Over the weekend, residents in El Dorado County, California took to Facebook to share their encounters with a lone, hairless black bear cub in the area. Following cries for help from the community, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife initiated a search for the cub, department Public Information Officer Peter Tira said.
It was ultimately El Dorado resident Susan Browning and her husband who found, captured and brought the cub to Gold Country Wildlife Rescue in Auburn, California, according to the California Wolf Foundation. The cub remains at the rescue, where it underwent a full health exam and has received initial treatment. Gold Country Wildlife Rescue is one of only four wildlife rescues permitted to treat and rehabilitate black bears in California, Tira said.
Though the bear is now being cared for properly, capturing wildlife in California is illegal.
What is wrong with the bear cub?
The male cub was not in good condition when he arrived to Gold Country Wildlife Rescue on Monday. He was dehydrated, anemic, severely underweight and suffering from ear infections in both ears and a skin infection, the rescue said in a news release. The cub has also withstood about 90% hairless, Tira added.
According to the Bear With Us Centre for Bears, 1-year-old black bears should weigh between 15 pounds to more than 100 pounds, depending on their food supply. Tira said the rescued cub weighed 22 pounds.
Will the bear cub survive?
The bear cub's health remains "very delicate," Gold Country Wildlife Rescue said in a news release. Blood work and cultures completed earlier this week will soon help the rescue determine an appropriate treatment plan.
The Gold Country Wildlife Rescue is seeking donations to help fund the cub's treatment. Donations can be made on the Gold County Wildlife Rescue website.
Unknown pattern of black bears with alopecia
Between 2014-2019, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife evaluated eight orphaned juvenile black bears suffering from alopecia (hair loss), crusting and scaling dermatitis, emaciation (thinness) and weakness, according to a study published in the Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. Unfortunately, all eight bears progressed to either death or euthanasia, as their conditions worsened.
The study states that the bears either dealt with fungal diseases, mites, ticks or other infections, but no consistent cause was determined. Ultimately, no reason for their death was determined after physical or postmortem exams.
But not all bear cubs the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has recovered have passed on due to unknown circumstances.
In 2021, the department transferred an orphaned female black bear cub to the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary in Sacramento County. The cub was also hairless and found in poor condition. Though she remained quarantined at the zoo for some time, to get adjusted to the environment and zookeepers, the cub, now named Olive, thrives in the public spotlight, according to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife news release.
This story was updated to corrected the name of a city.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hairless, orphaned black bear cub rescued in El Dorado, California
Solve the daily Crossword
