Black bears are incredible creatures in their natural habitat – powerful and majestic. So it’s heartbreaking to see them suffering, wasting away to the point of near starvation. In December 2024, animal experts at Gold Country Wildlife Rescue (GCWR) in North Auburn, California, received word of a tragic case. While they were no strangers to heartbreaking rescues, this one shook them to their core. They found a young black bear struggling to survive alone in El Dorado County. The bear was suffering from dehydration, anemia, and a severe skin infection. He was huddled in his crate, looking down at his enormous paws.
“It was heartbreaking to see the bear in such a terrible state,” Chelsea Engberg, GCWR’s marketing and public relations manager, told The Dodo . The combination of being orphaned and severely malnourished likely caused a chain reaction that led to his health rapidly deteriorating before rescuers intervened. The rescuers performed a detailed examination and developed a meticulous treatment plan for the suffering bear. The bear weighed only 20 pounds, so everyone knew his road to recovery would be difficult. But they were determined to do everything they could to save him.
The bear cub is recovering
After weeks of care, the cub’s once-bald face began to show signs of new fur growth. “While it may seem like a small change, the fact that we’re starting to see some fuzz on his face is an exciting next step in his healing journey,” GCWR shared in a Facebook update. As time went on, hope grew among the rescue team. The cub began to show his wild, playful side, enjoying the toys and enrichment items in his enclosure, from a kiddie pool to a fire hose hammock. The team kept their distance to give him the best chance of being returned to the wild. By February, the transformation was astounding — the cub looked like a brand-new bear.
“We’re always amazed by the wild animals in our care, and this little bear is one of the most amazing recoveries we’ve seen,” Engberg said. In February 2025, when The Dodo covered the story, experts said they needed more time to decide the cub’s future. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will ultimately determine whether he’ll be released back into the wild or remain in a protected sanctuary. Either way, everyone involved clearly has his best interests at heart. For now, the cub remains in the care of GCWR, where staff are deeply moved by his incredible resilience. “He was in such poor condition when he arrived that in many ways he didn’t even resemble a bear,” Engberg said. “The fact that he’s grown most of his fur back and remains wild and uninterested in humans is something everyone at GCWR continues to be proud of every day.”
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Then, on May 13, GCWR posted a touching update on its Facebook page, along with a new photo of the once-suffering bear, now looking nearly unrecognizable. They said CDFW had decided that the cub would not be returned to the wild, but would be transferred to a sanctuary.
“If you haven’t seen this cub before, he came to us late last year sick and almost completely hairless. He’ll soon have his final checkup and vaccinations so he’ll be all set to go to his forever sanctuary home when they’re ready to take him. Stay tuned for updates as they happen,” they wrote.
Although this poor bear had an incredibly rough start in life, he was able to turn things around with the help of the dedicated team at Gold Country Wildlife Rescue – and we couldn’t be happier! “His journey highlights the value of collaborative care in wildlife rehabilitation,” says Dana Fasolett, director of animal care at GCWR.