In an update coming directly from The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Lady Freethinker has heard that the friendly bear cub who gained fame interacting with snowboarders in a viral video is doing well, and experts are hoping they can soon return him to the wild.
Thank you to all who signed our petition urging the CDFW to spare the cub’s life! The petition garnered more than 24,000 signatures, and sent a message that everything possible must be done to save this sweet animal.
The CDFW captured the bear in Northern California in April and has been caring for him ever since at a facility near Sacramento.
In the update, Kirsten Macintyre, communications manager of the CDFW, informed Lady Freethinker about the cub’s current condition: “Our wildlife vets are extremely experienced and compassionate, and are trying different treatments to see if they can improve the bear’s health to the point where he can be safely released back to his natural habitat,” Macintyre explained.
“If that turns out not to be possible, permanent placement in a sanctuary setting will be considered. The good news is that the bear is currently doing well, other than the head tilt. He’s eating well, gaining weight, and responding well to treatment for an ear infection.”
When first captured, the bear was underweight, and experts suspected he had neurological issues due to his abnormal behavior and ongoing head tilt. Unfortunately, CT scans and other tests have not yet revealed the cause of these abnormalities, making it difficult to plan for his future.
“Until the cause of the head tilt is understood, it’s premature to explore long-term solutions such as placement or release,” CDFW spokesperson Kyle Orr told the Reno Gazette Journal.
Ideally, this little bear cub will be released back into the wild; however, if this isn’t feasible due to health or behavioral issues, a suitable sanctuary will be located.
To increase the chances of a successful release should the time come, the wildlife experts caring for the bear ensure he has minimal human contact and are able to observe him without his knowledge. “His exposure to humans continues to be intentionally limited by our staff in order to keep him as wild as possible,” said Orr. “That’s in his best interest.”
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Thank you very, very much for this.
Be right: respect ALL sentient beings and go vegan !
YOU CAN NOT RELEASE THAT NOW TRUSTING BABY BACK INTO AN ENVIRONMENT FILLED WITH USELESS, SCUM SUCKING REDNECKS THAT HAVE A PROPENSITY TO KILL ANYTHING THAT MOVES….
FIRST YOU KILL OFF ALL THE REDNECKS WHO HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO REDEEMING VALUE… THE WORLD WOULD BE A FAR BETTER PLACE !!!
Thank you for the petition and update on such a cute bear. I’m grateful to the experts also for caring for the bear and proceeding as planned to bring him to the wilderness.
I Love animals and i hope they have a better life soon. Therefore, i fight.
It is good news he is doing well and hoping for the best.
He’s to friendly for the wild. The best thing for the cub is a sanctuary, free of hunters and he can be safe.
Head tilt can be caused by parasites like e. cunniculi.
Thank you to everyone who helped save this precious baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BEST WISHES BABY FOR A WONDERFUL LIFE!!
We must keep all animals, marine life and fowl (whether they are domestic or wild) free from the environmental disasters that are happening to their habitats, nesting places, food sources — and from the debris that unthinking humans who do not pick up after themselves when they leave a waterfront (beach, lake, ocean, etc.) area — and thus causing marine life to become entangled into nets/strings/plastics/etc. We must protect ALL specifies so they do not become “endangered” or even, God forbid, extinct.
He cenado de una pizza hecha por mí, champiñones, tomate mozzarella, orégano y aceite de oliva virgen extra…Con mi nuevo horno de gas…buenísima, sin matar a ningún animal, aunque seguramente la leche del queso no se esté obtenida sin explotación animal….seamos más compasivos y menos egoístas.Dios les puso aquí igual que a nosotros.
If you eat milk and milk derivatives you kill and make so many innocent creatures suffer. Choose vegan if you really don’t want to hurt anyone!
If you eat milk and milk derivatives you kill and make so many innocent creatures suffer. Choose vegan if you really don’t want to hurt anyone!
It’s a dilemma. You want to cuddle a tiny baby like this but in his own interest he has to interact with humans as little as possible if he is to survive in the wild. So I send him a virtual hug 🙂
Thank you for taking care of little bear.
The bear needs to be in a sanctuary and kept away from human abuse.
Re the bear cub in California
Check his cervical spine. The head tilt could be the bear’s way to minimize the pain of his neck vertebrae being damaged or misaligned.
Re: the bear cub in California
Consider checking his cervical spine. A fracture or misalignment of his neck vertebrae could cause him to hold his head at a tilted angle to minimize the pain of his spinal cord being squeezed by the damaged vertebrae.
(I know because I had an undiagnosed broken neck for 6 weeks, in spite of 2 sets of X-rays, a CT Scan, and an MRI. Then the greatly increased pain sent me to my neurosurgeon who ordered neck X-rays from a different angle and those x-rays finally showed the damage to my vertebrae. But for 6 weeks I had walked around with my head at a very specific tilt angle in order to be able to tolerate the pain.
I am so glad to see he is doing so well. Thank you so much to all who have helped him.
Half the battle is already won. This sweetie is people-friendly, and has some sort of health issue.
That, right there, says he should be homed into a suitable sanctuary, and let people learn about his story.
Being an ambassador for your species is the best life this bear can have 😺
Otherwise, who knows what his fate will be. Living in a sanctuary is a blessing.
Someone could mistake his friendliness, or use it to their advantage to abuse or kill him.
Since this baby bear is friendly, can’t he stay in a sanctuary wher3 he will always be safe?
I’m afraid he is going to end up being killed if someone mistakes his friendliness.
Please, think hard about this.
Well done CDFW!
DO NOT FEED WILDLIFE BECAUSE THEY BECOME TO DEPEND ON PEOPLE, AND WILL APPROACH THEM AS THEY GROW TO 300 lbs., AND THEN THEY WILL BE SHOT BY SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT KNOW THEY ARE FRIENDLY!!!!
I agree 100% with you! Like the saying goes, “A fed animal is a dead animal.”
In this case, though, I think maybe mother bear knew something was not right about her cub.
Unfortunately, animals will abandon ill young to concentrate on raising their healthy offspring.
This little guy approached the snowboarders because – he’s a baby, and he’s scared and lonely.
This happens all the time in nature. But when it happens right in front of you, I think we’re obligated to
help any way we can. Hoping everything works out for the best.