Two orphaned black bears are now receiving specialized care at a Southern California wildlife center after state wildlife officials deemed it necessary to euthanize their mother in Monrovia, citing public safety concerns.
The brother cubs, estimated to be between two and three months old, arrived at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center on March 15, the San Diego Humane Society said in a Tuesday, March 24, news release.
The team of wildlife veterinarians determined that the cubs were in good health following a comprehensive exam.
“Our top priority now is giving these babies the care they need and the best possible chance to return to the wild,” the nonprofit said.
Given how young the cubs are, they will need months of extensive care.
The Monrovia mother bear incident
A Monrovia woman was walking her dog on Oakglade Drive the morning of Saturday, March 14, when the bear charged and swiped at the back of her knee, Monrovia Police Lt. Kevin Oberon told the Los Angeles Times.
A neighbor came to the woman’s aid and “helped scare the bear away,” Monrovia City Manager Dylan Feik said in a Tuesday, March 17, in a statement.
“There were no cubs present as they were in a den underneath a nearby home,” he said, adding that wildlife officials captured the three bears the following day.
City officials and residents sought to have the bear relocated instead of euthanized; however, wildlife officials considered it necessary to euthanize the bear.
In a statement, Cort Klopping, an information officer with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the decision was made after she was deemed a “Public Safety Bear.”
A “Public Safety Bear” is one that demonstrates aggressive action that has resulted in physical contact with a human, or one that exhibits an immediate threat to public health and safety, per CDFW’s Black Bear in California policy.
Through DNA testing, Klopping said officials determined the bear captured over that weekend was the same bear involved in the March 14 incident. The DNA testing also confirmed the bear was involved in a previous attack “on an elderly resident sitting on his Monrovia porch in June 2025.”
“Euthanasia is used only as a last resort when an animal poses a risk to public safety and cannot be safely returned to the wild,” Klopping said.
Though relocation may seem like a solution, it is “not an option when it could put public safety at risk,” according to Klopping.
Cubs to be raised with minimal human interaction
Since arriving at the facility, the cubs have started to settle into their habitat, “designed to mimic their natural environment,” the nonprofit said.
To ensure the cubs stay wild, the San Diego Humane Society’s Project Wildlife team will raise them with minimal human interaction. The team will don “bear masks, animal furs, and scents to conceal their human identity during care” to avoid habituation.
Photos and videos from the nonprofit show the cubs unwittingly taking spoonfuls of food from San Diego Humane Society team members, whose human identities are concealed from the cubs by bear masks and furs.
“Raising bear cubs from this young age requires an extraordinary amount of time, expertise, and resources,” Autumn Welch, the nonprofit’s wildlife operations manager, said in a news release. “We don’t want them to associate with humans in any way if they are going to have a chance to survive in their natural habitat.”
The cubs’ rehabilitation is not just for the animals but also for helping break “a dangerous generational cycle of habituation and conflict,” the nonprofit said.
Wildlife officials urge prevention
The Monrovia incident, Klopping said, highlights “the importance of prevention.”
“Bears are highly adaptable and will seek out food and shelter when opportunities are present,” Klopping said. “Securing crawl spaces, removing food attractants such as unsecured trash or pet food, and eliminating access to sheltered areas around homes are critical steps residents must take to reduce the likelihood of conflict and habituation.”
Cubs learn by way of their mother’s behavior, he said.
“When that behavior includes accessing human food sources or shelter, cubs can learn to associate people and homes with resources,” he said. “This can perpetuate a cycle of human-wildlife conflict over time.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Orphaned bear cub brothers get a second chance at SoCal wildlife center
Reporting by Daniella Segura, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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