The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center//Back to the Wild

The Fund For Animals Wildlife Center rescues, rehabilitates and releases apex predators back into their native habitats. Patients are orphaned, injured or ill when they arrive for care from our team of wildlife experts. From the largest mammals to the smallest birds of prey, our efforts focus upon maximizing each individual’s chances of returning to the wild and resuming their key role in the ecosystem.

Just over seven months ago, two baby black bear cubs in Northern California sadly lost their mother. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife rescued the orphans and took them to Tahoe Wildlife Care (TWC), a licensed bear rehabilitation facility, who quickly accepted the youngsters into their care. After a month, TWC contacted us to discuss our team taking over the remainder of their rehabilitation. In collaboration with Pilots and Paws (a non-profit group of aeronautical enthusiasts) plans were swiftly made to fly the cubs south. Our expert staff sprang into action providing a temporary home in one of our bespoke temperature-controlled recovery rooms, monitoring from a distance to ensure they still exhibited wild bear like behaviors. As the only other licensed bear rehabilitation center in California, we are exceptionally well versed in everything bear and set about planning a nutritious diet and overall care plan for this tiny brother and sister duo. Initially, at only twenty pounds in weight they started dining on a specially prepared bear ‘shake’ made from bear formula and a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, but that didn’t last for long! Once graduated to solids including nuts, honey and fresh fish, the bears moved outside to a much larger bear specific habitat to continue developing behaviorally through exploration and play. All too soon they were over one hundred pounds each and ticking all the boxes to say they were ready to return to the wild!

A call to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife resulted in their biologists visiting our facility and loading them up into a bear trailer for the next part of their journey back to Northern California. We are excited to say that the bears are now back in the wild and embarking on the next chapter of their lives. Without the expert care of staff and volunteers at our Wildlife Center these cubs would not have been able to survive – we are all delighted to have played a major role in getting them back into the wild!

Thank you for caring!

Motiur MotiurFund For Animals Wildlife Center