We are so happy to announce that we have released one of the bear cubs back into the wild! This cub was the oldest and largest of the four cubs, weighing 107 pounds on her release date. She was released by the Department of Fish and Wildlife in Southern California, near the area where she was initially found.

We have three bear cubs that remain in our care and they have ever growing appetites! If you would like to donate food towards these young cubs, please sign up on our website here. We are currently in need of hardboiled eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts and enrichment.

To read all about the bear cubs at SCWR and the enclosure we are building to house future cubs, check out our Animal Care Spotlight in our 2022 Winter Newsletter.

Imprinting is one of the largest concerns wildlife rehabbers face when working with orphaned wildlife. Imprinting occurs when an animal is raised by humans and does not learn the skills necessary to survive in the wild, learning dependent behavior towards the humans that raised it. As professionals, we have several tools and resources at our disposal to prevent our patients from imprinting on us, but a few examples include limiting contact with the animal, having proper enclosures with enrichment natural to their habitats in the wild, and placing animals with others of the same species. Having these strict protocols in place has made us and other rehabilitation centers greatly successful in getting wildlife back to their homes in the wild.

Even with our success and community presence in Sonoma County, we receive dozens of animals every year that members of the community attempt to raise on their own. Animals that have been kept for long periods of time without professional care are at critical risk of these detrimental behavioral issues and are even more likely to never return to the wild. Aside from imprinting, animals who are raised without professional training, often only come into care once severe, deadly, and preventable medical issues, such as aspiration pneumonia and metabolic bone disease, arise. We want to be clear that this is not only harmful to the health and wellbeing of the animal but is also illegal in the state of California.

With the rise of social media, this issue has gotten worse. Indeed, sharing cute photos of wildlife garners a lot of likes and attention on the internet, making the draw to raise wildlife that much more appealing for some. Even more discouraging is when we look at the comment threads on these posts, there is usually no representation for what is best for the animal. Wildlife is not able to be domesticated by simply raising the animal around humans. These animals have a strong instinct to be in the wild, mate, and maintain their own territories in their natural habitats. What is seen on these videos is simply only the highlight reel as wild animals in captivity are unlikely to thrive.

While this is a message that we have shared with our supporter base time and time again, we have come to realize that our voice only reaches a small percent of those in our community and those that wish to raise wildlife on their own are unlikely to seek us out for help until it is too late. That is why we are here today asking you for your help in advocating for animals in need of professional care. Aside from severe medical issues, the second most common reason why we see an animal in this situation surrendered is after the encouragement of a family member or friend. Through our work, we have learned that our message has a much greater impact when it comes from a place of compassion and empathy. We’ve learned that we can reach more people and cause a greater effect on people when we encourage our supporters to share our message in a similar way. For wildlife, our voices are our strongest tool, and we must advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. This baby season, if you see someone raising a wild animal, please encourage them to seek professional care.

Read more about the laws pertaining to this article and for resources on the 80+ licensed facilities in the state of California here.