Latest news with #AutumnWelch
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
Lion cub struck by vehicle nursed back to health, returned to wild
A mountain lion cub that was struck by a vehicle and sustained horrendous injuries — including a fractured skull — has been released back into the wild, according to the San Diego Humane Society. It took nearly five months of careful rehabilitation to nurse the young male lion back to health without letting it get too dependent on, or comfortable around, people. 'Our job is to provide medical care while preserving the animal's wild instincts, so they have the best possible chance at surviving on their own,' said Autumn Welch, Wildlife Operations manager at San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center. That was a tall order after the cub, who is now about 10 months old, was found in January with its skull fractured, eye trauma and a lame left hind leg after being struck by the vehicle. The cub was initially treated at Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital in Orange County, before being transferred to the humane society for his long-term rehab. During his first few weeks at the center, staff focused on pain management and getting him to eat. As soon as possible, they moved him to an outdoor enclosure so he could continue his recovery with 'minimal human contact,' staff said. After about 150 days, his caretakers decided he had gained sufficient weight and strength to be released back into the wild. He was also demonstrating natural survival behavior and, crucially, avoiding people. 'This is the moment we all work toward,' Welch said. So on June 17, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife released him into a remote location of the Santa Ana Mountains in Orange County. The humane society is still caring for two orphaned mountain lion cubs that arrived at the Ramona Wildlife Center in late March. A team of UC Davis researchers and California Department of Fish and Wildlife staff trapped the cubs after they were found alone. The goal is to get them healthy — and wary enough of humans — to be safely released back into the wild, too. 'We're grateful for our partnership with CDFW and UC Davis, and for the opportunity to give these incredible animals a second chance at life in the wild,' Welch said. The San Diego Humane Society's Project Wildlife program cares for more than 10,000 wild animals each year — including orphaned baby songbirds and apex predators — with the hope of rehabilitating and returning them to their natural habitats.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Mountain lion released into Santa Ana Mountains after rehabbing from near-death collision with vehicle
A young mountain lion was nursed back to health and released into the wild this month after surviving a brutal collision with a vehicle in Southern California. The San Diego Humane Society announced the good news on Sunday, about five months after the big cat was hit by a vehicle in January. It received emergency care at Serrano Animal and Bird Hospital in Orange County. The mountain lion, now 10 months old, suffered from a skull fracture, head and eye trauma and lameness in his left hind leg, the Humane Society said. It treated the animal starting on Jan. 15. On June 17, it was released back into the Santa Ana Mountains. "This is the moment we all work toward — seeing a wild animal return to where they belong," said Autumn Welch, Wildlife Operations Manager at San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center. "Our job is to provide medical care while preserving the animal's wild instincts, so they have the best possible chance at surviving on their own." The Humane Society said the treatment focused on pain management and nutritional support for the first several weeks, before moving him to an outdoor enclosure to prepare for life back in the wild. The decision to move him back into the mountains was made after 153 days, where he reached a healthy weight of about 60 pounds and demonstrated "natural survival behaviors."
Miami Herald
17-06-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Worker dons bear suit — one last time — to see off rescued California bear cub
A rescued bear cub is headed to a new home after weeks of care at a California rescue in an effort to give him 'the best shot at a wild future.' After learning Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue was caring for two orphaned bear cubs, staffers with San Diego Humane Society had 'no doubt' that their 'bear cub should join them,' the nonprofit said in a June 17 Facebook post. The cub made his way to the Northern California rescue last week thanks to Flying Tails, which provided a free flight, the San Diego nonprofit said. 'Saying goodbye is never easy — especially when our Project Wildlife team has poured their hearts into giving an animal a second chance,' the nonprofit said. 'But these goodbyes are also the very reason we do what we do.' Campers find bear Campers visiting Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County stumbled upon the lone cub on April 12, the nonprofit said in a May 14 news release. Initially, biologists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife tried 'to reunite the cub with his mother by returning him to the wild overnight, but she did not return,' according to the nonprofit. With no signs of the mother bear around, wildlife officials brought the cub to the nonprofit's Ramona Wildlife Center two days after he was found, the nonprofit said. 'Very unusual case' When the bear arrived at the center, he was 'underweight and alone,' the nonprofit said. After staff provided the cub with diligent nonstop care for 30 days, the 2-month-old bear was considered 'stable, playful and thriving,' the nonprofit said. 'This is a very unusual case,' Autumn Welch, the nonprofit's wildlife operations manager, said in the release. 'We don't often see bears this young without their mother. It's an honor to care for him, but it's also a significant commitment.' The nonprofit said raising a bear so young required 'an extraordinary amount of time, expertise and resources.' Each day, the cub received 'four enrichment and feeding sessions,' the nonprofit said. For the enrichment sessions, the nonprofit said staff mimicked 'maternal behaviors (to) help prepare the cub for life in the wild.' A video shared by the nonprofit on Facebook shows a staff member donning a bear suit, interacting with the cub. The cub plays with a stuffed bear, pawing and biting its ear as he rolls about the fuzzy-covered floor. 'A big and exciting milestone' At the time of his rescue, the nonprofit said it hoped to return the bear to the wild, and his new home with other cubs offers the best hope. 'Growing up together will give these cubs the chance to learn from one another and develop critical natural behaviors they'll need to thrive in the wild,' the nonprofit said. 'And that's our most important goal of all: to see these bears go home.' A video shared by the nonprofit shows a staff member dressing up in a bear suit — one last time. The bear approaches the worker, playfully pawing. The worker guides the cub to a crate while holding some food in a bowl before closing the crate's door. Then, staff members carry the crate onto a truck, the video shows. During the ride, the bear peers through a hole in the crate and sniffs about. The crew then carries the crate toward an awaiting plane, which flies off into the distance. 'While we'll miss him (and the bear-suit feedings!), this is a big and exciting milestone,' the nonprofit said. 'Socializing with other cubs helps prevent human imprinting and keeps them wild — all part of preparing him for release.'
CNN
06-06-2025
- Health
- CNN
Orphaned bear cub cared for by humans dressed up as bears
Gloves, a fur coat and a bear mask. This outfit might sound like avant-garde fashion, but it's actually the uniform of caretakers at the San Diego Humane Society who are raising an orphaned black bear cub. Campers in California's Los Padres National Forest found the cub in April. Biologists from the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife tried looking for the cub's mother for several days. After no sign of her, the humane society took him in. The cub, who was nearly two months old when he was taken in, is the youngest black bear the organization has ever cared for, according to Autumn Welch, the society's wildlife operations manager and one of the cub's caregivers. 'At that age, he would be with his mom 24/7 and not really venture away from the den,' Welch said. 'He definitely wouldn't have been able to survive on his own, so he most likely will be in rehab for about a year.' The goal is to eventually release the cub back into the wild, so the bear costumes worn by his caretakers reduce the risk of him imprinting on humans. But do the costumes actually convince the cub he's being taken care of by other bears? According to Welch, they do. She said that caregivers recently performed a test by entering his enclosure without the costume to make sure the cub is not identifying them as humans. Discover your world Go beyond the headlines and explore the latest scientific achievements and fascinating discoveries. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. 'He was afraid and ran up the tree,' Welch said. 'That's what we want.' The caregivers wear real fur coats that were donated to the humane society, Welch said. To make the costumes even more believable, the furs are stored in sealed containers with hay sourced from a local wildlife sanctuary that also houses bears. She said the hay helps the furs have a black bear scent. 'Now, we don't know if he looks at us as like surrogate mamas,' she said. 'I feel like it's more like we are his playmates, like his siblings, that are coming in and if he does want to play with us, we redirect him to his teddy bears.' Along with teddy bears, the cub's enclosure is also filled with donated furs, black bear-scented hay, trees and plenty of places for him to climb and hide to simulate a den, Welch said. The cub sleeps on and hides under one of the larger teddy bears, which Welch thinks he sees as his mother. 'This large teddy bear was something that provided him comfort,' Welch said. 'When we were not there, he would seek shelter by her, go rest against her, take naps all cuddled up with the bear.' The caregivers use their time in the cub's enclosure to teach him skills that his mother would have taught him, like how to climb, how to find grasses and insects to eat and how to build a nest, Welch said. 'It's been wonderful to see him hit various milestones,' she said. 'I remember the first time he ate a bug, he dug through the dirt and picked out a beetle and ate it, which was great.' The staff at the San Diego Humane Society isn't the first to suit up to take care of orphaned wildlife. Employees at the Richmond Wildlife Center in Virginia wore a fox mask while caring for an orphaned kit. At the Wildlife Midlands Centre in South Africa, an employee used a makeshift crane costume to teach an orphaned chick how to drink water. Welch said wearing a mask to take care of young wildlife is a strategy that they've used when bottle feeding baby raccoons and coyote pups. She said it's important since young wildlife is very impressionable. Since they have never cared for such a young bear, they had to order supplies, including the bear masks. Welch estimates it will cost $72,000 to take care of the cub for a year. 'It's a labor of love,' she said. 'We are happy to help these animals and get them back out and someday see him thrive in the wild — it's going to be the best thing ever.'
CNN
06-06-2025
- Health
- CNN
Orphaned bear cub cared for by humans dressed up as bears
Gloves, a fur coat and a bear mask. This outfit might sound like avant-garde fashion, but it's actually the uniform of caretakers at the San Diego Humane Society who are raising an orphaned black bear cub. Campers in California's Los Padres National Forest found the cub in April. Biologists from the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife tried looking for the cub's mother for several days. After no sign of her, the humane society took him in. The cub, who was nearly two months old when he was taken in, is the youngest black bear the organization has ever cared for, according to Autumn Welch, the society's wildlife operations manager and one of the cub's caregivers. 'At that age, he would be with his mom 24/7 and not really venture away from the den,' Welch said. 'He definitely wouldn't have been able to survive on his own, so he most likely will be in rehab for about a year.' The goal is to eventually release the cub back into the wild, so the bear costumes worn by his caretakers reduce the risk of him imprinting on humans. But do the costumes actually convince the cub he's being taken care of by other bears? According to Welch, they do. She said that caregivers recently performed a test by entering his enclosure without the costume to make sure the cub is not identifying them as humans. Discover your world Go beyond the headlines and explore the latest scientific achievements and fascinating discoveries. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. 'He was afraid and ran up the tree,' Welch said. 'That's what we want.' The caregivers wear real fur coats that were donated to the humane society, Welch said. To make the costumes even more believable, the furs are stored in sealed containers with hay sourced from a local wildlife sanctuary that also houses bears. She said the hay helps the furs have a black bear scent. 'Now, we don't know if he looks at us as like surrogate mamas,' she said. 'I feel like it's more like we are his playmates, like his siblings, that are coming in and if he does want to play with us, we redirect him to his teddy bears.' Along with teddy bears, the cub's enclosure is also filled with donated furs, black bear-scented hay, trees and plenty of places for him to climb and hide to simulate a den, Welch said. The cub sleeps on and hides under one of the larger teddy bears, which Welch thinks he sees as his mother. 'This large teddy bear was something that provided him comfort,' Welch said. 'When we were not there, he would seek shelter by her, go rest against her, take naps all cuddled up with the bear.' The caregivers use their time in the cub's enclosure to teach him skills that his mother would have taught him, like how to climb, how to find grasses and insects to eat and how to build a nest, Welch said. 'It's been wonderful to see him hit various milestones,' she said. 'I remember the first time he ate a bug, he dug through the dirt and picked out a beetle and ate it, which was great.' The staff at the San Diego Humane Society isn't the first to suit up to take care of orphaned wildlife. Employees at the Richmond Wildlife Center in Virginia wore a fox mask while caring for an orphaned kit. At the Wildlife Midlands Centre in South Africa, an employee used a makeshift crane costume to teach an orphaned chick how to drink water. Welch said wearing a mask to take care of young wildlife is a strategy that they've used when bottle feeding baby raccoons and coyote pups. She said it's important since young wildlife is very impressionable. Since they have never cared for such a young bear, they had to order supplies, including the bear masks. Welch estimates it will cost $72,000 to take care of the cub for a year. 'It's a labor of love,' she said. 'We are happy to help these animals and get them back out and someday see him thrive in the wild — it's going to be the best thing ever.'
