Bear cub rehabilitation

Bear cubs can be orphaned naturally through accidents or abandonment. Others lose parents as a result of poaching and hunting. As we continue to encroach on their habitats, more wild animals seek food from human sources such as bins, beehives and crops and are killed or injured as a result, leaving young behind.

Once, orphaned bear cubs faced starvation in the wild, a life in captivity or euthanasia – humane or otherwise. But over a number of years, rehabilitation and release programs have proved themselves a viable alternative.

WSPA supports rehabilitation and release work that returns orphaned bear cubs to the wild, by:

• Gathering and disseminating expert information for use by specialists, with the aim of creating a worldwide rehabilitation and release network.
• Supporting member societies' rehabilitation and release programs, such as that of the Idaho Black Bear Rehabilitation Center and Appalachian Bear Rescue.
• Raising public awareness about the need for cub rehabilitation programs through the media.

Read more about WSPA’s work with orphaned bear cubs >>