Name it survival of the fuzziest — with a wierd twist.
Two orphaned black bear cubs from Monrovia, California are getting a second shot at life — however the people caring for them are going undercover — as bears.
The roughly 3-month-old brothers had been taken in by the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Heart after their mom was euthanized for public security causes following a number of encounters with folks, officers mentioned.
Now, as a substitute of cuddles and bottle-feeding from smiling staffers, the cubs are being raised by caretakers decked out in bear masks, fur and even animal scents — all to trick them into staying wild.
To keep away from habituation, workers use bear masks, animal furs and smells to hide their human identification throughout care in line with the Instances of San Diego.
It’s principally a real-life bear cosplay operation.
The objective? Be certain that these cubs don’t develop up pondering people equal meals — a lethal lesson that possible doomed their mother.
“Elevating bear cubs from this younger age requires a unprecedented period of time, experience and assets,” mentioned Autumn Welch, wildlife operations supervisor at SDHS.
“We don’t need them to affiliate with people in any manner if they will have an opportunity to outlive of their pure habitat.”
The cubs arrived on the facility on March 15 and at the moment are below round the clock care, with handlers going to excessive lengths to maintain interactions as pure — and nameless — as attainable.
“Conditions like this underscore the significance of prevention and shared accountability,” mentioned Cort Klopping, an official with the California Division of Fish and Wildlife.
If all goes in line with plan, the cubs will finally be launched again into the wild — hopefully with no clue that the “bears” who raised them ever walked on two legs.
