Two orphaned bear cubs are settling in at a California animal welfare center after their mother was euthanized for attacking people, the San Diego Humane Society said Tuesday.
DNA testing confirmed the mother bear was involved in two public safety incidents in less than a year, CBS Los Angeles reported. In June 2025, the mother bear swiped at an elderly man sitting on his enclosed porch, according to the station. Earlier in March, the bear swiped at a woman walking her dog. Both incidents took place in the neighborhood of Monrovia, California. Both people recovered from minor injuries, CBS Los Angeles said.
City manager Dylan Feik told CBS Los Angeles that the city council and some residents pushed for the bear and her cubs to be relocated to the Angeles National Forest, but state officials decided to euthanize the adult bear. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife told CBS Los Angeles that the decision was made after "a thorough assessment of the bear's behavior and the circumstances of the incident."
Two black bear cubs at the San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center.
San Diego Humane Society
Wildlife veterinarians determined the cubs are two or three months old and will need months of extensive care, the organization said. Black bear cubs are generally weaned from their mothers between six and eight months of age, but stay with them until they are about 18 months old, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Bear cubs typically follow their mother everywhere and learn skills including how and where to find food.
The San Diego Humane Society said it hopes to be able to return the two cubs to the wild. Rehabilitating the cubs will hopefully ensure they do not follow their mother's example of exploring human-populated areas, the organization told CBS affiliate KFMB.
The cubs have been settled into a habitat designed to mimic their natural environment, and special efforts are being made to reduce their exposure to humans. KFMB reported that staff will use bear masks, animal furs and scents to "conceal their human identity" while caring for the cubs. They will receive feedings, care and "species-specific enrichment," the organization said.
"Raising bear cubs from this young age requires an extraordinary amount of time, expertise, and resources," Autumn Welch, the wildlife operations manager at the organization, told KFMB. "We don't want them to associate with humans in any way if they are going to have a chance to survive in their natural habitat."
"With some creativity and dedication, we'll help (the cubs) develop their survival instincts and remain wild," the Humane Society said on social media. "Together, we can still give these cubs the chance to live full, wild lives."
Black bears are common throughout California, with between 49,000 and 71,000 of the animals estimated to live throughout the state, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The animals will eat most foods, and may enter human neighborhoods to ransack garbage cans or eat other unsecured foodstuffs.
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Wildlife officials euthanize bear that swiped at Monrovia woman
Wildlife officials euthanize bear that swiped at Monrovia woman
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