| Advertisement |
|
|
OJAI, Calif. (KTLA) -- The California Department of Fish and Game and wildlife organizations helped save a baby bear that may have been abandoned or orphaned near Ojai.
The 10-pound, 3-month-old female cub was brought to the Ojai Raptor Center in Ventura County last Friday by an employee of a nearby avocado ranch.
"She was crying, confused, and she was clearly disoriented, and not trained on how to survive," said Fish and Game spokesman Andrew Hughan.
The cub had been "scrambling around looking for mom," for days, Hughan said.
He said that bear cubs are typically born in early spring, and weigh 40 or more pounds by the fall. This cub likely would not have survived in the wild.
A warden found large bear tracks in the area where the cub was roaming, but no evidence of the bear's mother in the area.
Other than her weight, wildlife rehabilitation personnel found the cub to be alert and healthy
She was held at the California Wildlife Center in Calabasas over the weekend before being taken to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Center early Monday.
She will be cared for there over the winter before being released back into the wild in the spring, Hughan said.