This past April, a tiny black bear cub was crying in a California forest. The male cub was about 2 months old. He weighed just 3 pounds. He was hungry and alone. 

Campers in Los Padres National Forest heard the cub’s cries. They called rescue workers, who searched the forest for the baby’s mother. But she was nowhere to be found. 

Bear cubs depend entirely on their mothers for the first year of their lives. Mothers find food for their babies and teach them how to live in the wild. They also keep their cubs safe from hungry predators, like mountain lions and coyotes. Without its mother, a baby bear might not survive. What would happen to this tiny cub?

In April, a tiny black bear cub was crying. He was in a California forest. The male cub was about 2 months old. He weighed 3 pounds. He was hungry and alone. 

Campers heard his cries. They were in Los Padres National Forest. They called rescue workers. The workers looked for the baby’s mother. But she could not be found. 

Bear cubs depend on their mothers. Mothers find food for their babies. They teach the cubs how to live in the wild. They also protect the cubs from hungry predators. These include mountain lions and coyotes. Without its mother, a baby bear might not survive. What would happen to this tiny cub?

Luckily, the rescue workers sprang into action. They took the cub to the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center. There, experts could give the cub the care he needed. They also named him Baby Bear.

But there was a big problem. One day, the cub would be returned to the wild. He would not be able to rely on humans. The cub needed to learn to live among other bears. So the caretakers made an unusual choice. They would pretend to be bears!

When workers entered the cub’s room, they wore bear masks and fur coats. The coats were stored in boxes with bear poop and hay other bears had slept on. That made the workers smell like bears too.

Caretakers didn’t talk when they were near Baby Bear either. Instead, they grunted and made bear noises. 

“We tried to look and act as much like bears as possible,” says Angela Hernandez-Cusick. She helped take care of the cub.

Luckily, the rescue workers went into action. They took the cub to the Ramona Wildlife Center. It’s run by the San Diego Humane Society. There, experts could care for the cub. They named him Baby Bear.

But there was a problem. The cub would be sent back to the wild one day. He would not be able to rely on humans. He needed to learn how to live with other bears. So the caretakers made a decision. They pretended to be bears!

Around the cub, the workers wore bear masks and fur coats. The coats were stored in boxes. The boxes had bear poop and hay other bears had slept on. That made the workers smell like bears too.

The workers didn’t talk near Baby Bear. Instead, they made bear noises. 

“We tried to look and act as much like bears as possible,” says Angela Hernandez-Cusick. She helped care for the cub.   

In June, Baby Bear was moved to the Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue to live with two other cubs. Hernandez-Cusick is glad he’s getting the chance to learn from other bears. She hopes he’ll be ready to return to the wild one day soon.  

“Our biggest goal is to get him back out into the wild where he belongs,” she says.

In June, Baby Bear was moved. He was sent to the Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue. There, he would live with two other cubs. Hernandez-Cusick is glad he can learn from other bears. She hopes he can be returned to the wild soon.  

“Our biggest goal is to get him back out into the wild where he belongs,” she says.