Two orphaned bear cubs take a road trip!!

Two orphaned bear cubs who have been growing strong at our Ramona Wildlife Center for more than a year, have safely arrived at their new home at the Amarillo Zoo! The 18-month old bears were transferred in an air-conditioned van on a two-day road trip to Amarillo, Texas with members our Project Wildlife team. The brother and sister cubs first arrived at our Ramona Wildlife Center on Aug. 18, 2021, after they were captured by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CFDW) in the Three Rivers area. The bears were seen without their mother, seeking food from people — a behavior which ultimately leads to problems for both bears and humans. For their own safety and the safety of the public, CFDW captured the cubs and transported them to our Ramona Campus. During their 13-month stay, our wildlife care specialists worked to prepare the bears for a potential return to the wild, minimizing human interaction and moving them to outdoor enclosures to give them opportunities to run, climb trees, play, forage for food and develop their wild instincts. The bears consumed about 10 pounds of food every day, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, honey and assorted proteins! While it's always our goal to return rehabilitated animals back to their natural habitats, it became clear that these bears were too acclimated to humans and could not be released. Our team began training the cubs to enter large transport crates so they would be ready once their future home was chosen, and gave the siblings the names Truffle (female) and Oyster (male)! We're so grateful to CDFW and the Amarillo Zoo for helping give these bears the best possible outcome as wildlife ambassadors!