- Admitted
- March 15, 2024
- Rescue Location
- Various
- Cause of Admission/Condition
- Various
- Status
- Former Patient
Last Updated Jump to patient updates
In March 2024, the Wildlife Center began admitting this year’s bear cubs; these young bears will be cared for by the Wildlife Center until spring 2025, at the time when they would begin naturally dispersing from their mothers.
To limit human interaction, only a few staff care for the bear cubs. Depending on their age and condition when they arrive, cubs may live in a Zinger crate indoors, in the Center’s Large Mammal Isolation enclosure, or the Center’s Black Bear Complex. The Center has some set weight guidelines that help determine when cubs are ready to move to their next stage of housing; usually, cubs live in the Large Mammal enclosure when they are more than 3.0 kg (typically in April or May) and are large enough to move to the Black Bear Complex when they are more than 10 kg (typically in July). Cubs also must be weaned from formula before they are moved to the Black Bear Complex, where they have a half-acre of forest to explore.
Before cubs ultimately move to the Black Bear Complex, they are ear-tagged with a temporary colored tag so that the Center staff can monitor and identify the cubs from a distance. Staff prefers to ear tag cubs when they are around 5.0 kgs, which means smaller cubs admitted earlier in the spring typically don’t receive their tag until they are anesthetized for the move to the Bear Complex in the mid-summer. For smaller cubs admitted during the spring months, the staff clip a small amount of fur on each bear and then paint the bare spot so that the bears still have a temporary identification system. As larger cubs are admitted in late spring/early summer, they may be ear-tagged at admission before joining the other bear cubs.
Ultimately, most colored ear tags are removed before release and are replaced with permanent green ear tags from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, which identify the bears as rehabilitated cubs.
The 2024 bear cubs include:
Black Bear cub #24-0302 (Double Green, male)
Black Bear cub #24-0385 (Double Orange Tags, male)
Black Bear cub #24-0744 (Double Lavender, male)
Black Bear cub #24-0745 (Double Yellow Tags, male)
Black Bear cub #24-0999 (Red and White Tags, female)
Black Bear cub #24-1000 (Double Blue Tags, female)
Black Bear cub #24-1054 (Double Pink Tags, female)
Patient Updates
On the evening of April 15, Double Blue and Double Lavender were successfully trapped. Double Lavender was the first to be trapped, followed by Double Blue later that night.
On the morning of April 16, both bears received final exams from the veterinary team, including weighing, bloodwork, skin scrapes, and the placement of new ear tags. The exams went smoothly, and both yearlings were deemed healthy and loaded into a transport vehicle to be released together.
The final weights were:
- Double Blue: 55 kg (121 pounds)
- Double Lavender: 50 kg (110 pounds)
Department of Wildlife Resources biologists and the rehabilitation team departed the Center with the two yearlings at approximately 8:30 a.m. and will provide an update later today once the bears have been successfully released. Stay tuned for more details!
Update: Director of Outreach Connor attended the release and reported that it went well! Double Blue peeked out of the crate before both she and Lavender took off. Blue veered to the left, while Lavender continued straight down the trail and quickly disappeared from sight. Check out the release video!
On the evening of April 14, the culvert traps in the bear yard were set, and later that evening the rehab team successfully captured two of the yearlings – Double Yellow and Red. Double Yellow was the first to enter a trap, with Red following shortly after.
On the morning of April 15, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) biologists picked up the bears from the Center and transported them directly to the release site. Both bears will receive final exams in the field, giving the biologists an opportunity for hands-on workups.
DWR biologists will share an update, along with photos, once the bears are safely back in the wild. Stay tuned for an update!
The rehabilitation team will reset the traps on the afternoon of April 15 for the remaining two yearlings. These bears are likely to be more wary of the traps, but if all goes as planned, the veterinary team will anesthetize them for a final examination and ear tagging on the morning of April 16.
Update: DWR biologists reported that the physical exams went smoothly, and both bears are in excellent health. Double Yellow and Red took off when released, climbed a tree, and were later seen back on the ground eating grass together.
- Double Orange: the scale malfunctioned during his weight check, but staff estimated him to weigh about 80kg (176 pounds)
- Double Pink: 58 kg (128 pounds)
- Double Green: 80kg (176 pounds)
On March 27, biologists from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) delivered three large culvert traps in the transition area of the Bear Complex. During the delivery, several of the yearlings spotted the biologists and responded with chuffing vocalizations, displaying a cautious wariness toward the humans.
“We were pleased to see that kind of reaction from the yearlings,” said Alex, the Center's rehabilitation supervisor. “It shows they're behaving like wild bears, keeping their distance from humans.”
Once the biologists left the Center, the yearlings were given access to the transition area and began exploring the traps, climbing on top of them and sniffing around. Over the next five days, the traps will remain open and unset while the rehabilitation team places food inside to encourage the yearlings to enter.
On April 1, the rehabilitation team will bait and set each of the three traps. Once a yearling enters, the trap door will close, safely containing the bear. On the morning of April 2, the veterinary team will dart each trapped bear for a complete physical examination, weight check, and ear tagging. DWR biologists will then pick up the first group of yearlings for transport to the release site.
Winter is in full swing in Virginia, and the cubs are making the most of it!
Through the fall, the rehab staff provided the bears with increasing amounts of food to help build fat reserves needed for winter, receiving as much as 200 lbs of food per day by early November. Their diet has since been brought down substantially to coordinate with their now-decreased appetites.
The bears are also showing signs of denning behavior and winter torpor, primarily brought on by the below-freezing temperatures and snow that much of the state received at the beginning of the new year. However, that hasn't stopped the cubs from enjoying and playing in the snow.
The cubs also celebrated their first birthdays on January 17! According to a study by Kim Echols, Black Bears in Virginia have been documented giving birth from December 19 to February 22, with a median date of January 17. It’s become a Wildlife Center tradition to celebrate the bears' birthdays on this day!
During a live-streamed Critter Cam event, the rehabilitation team provided the bears with an array of birthday enrichment, including colorful paper streamers, two donated Christmas trees, a box filled with newspaper, paper mache balls filled with grapes and nuts, paper mache tubes filled with super worms, a hay bale, and more. Watch all the fun below, complete with commentary from outreach staff!
During the past two months, the Black Bear cubs have continued to do well in the Center's Bear Complex. In early September, the rehabilitation team began offering increased meal amounts to the cubs – twice per day, the cubs receive approximately 70 pounds of fruit, vegetables, greens, and protein. In total, Center staff are preparing and delivering 140 pounds of food to the Black Bear Complex daily – 980 pounds per week!
“The bears have been especially interested in the protein items,” reports Rehab Supervisor Alex. “They also really enjoyed a large donation of chestnuts that we received!”
The cubs require more food as they grow and develop, but the increased meal amounts are also due to "hyperphagia," a process that Black Bears go through during the fall. During hyperphagia, Black Bears will excessively eat to build up the fat reserves needed to make it through winter torpor (similar to hibernation).
This period of increased foraging is also a great time to see the cubs on cam! Critter Cam viewers over the past months have gotten to see the bears climbing trees, foraging, and after particularly heavy play, napping together. Take a look at some of the photos from the past month!
The seven Black Bear cubs have been doing well in the Center’s Bear Complex. They have been spotted on the Critter Cams engaging in all sorts of natural, healthy bear behaviors including climbing, foraging, playing, and snuggling. Wildlife rehabilitator Kavya Parsa reported Double Yellow Tags, Double Lavender, and Double Blue Tags have been displaying particularly strong climbing abilities.
Check out the bears demonstrating their cuddling abilities:
Rehabilitation supervisor Alex Olvera suspects that the cubs might be starting hyperphagia because they have begun to display more food-motivated behaviors at feeding time. Hyperphasia occurs during the fall and is characterized by increased food intake: Black Bears go through this process to build up enough fat to make it through winter torpor. To account for this time of year, the rehabilitation team will to double the amount of food that the bears receive. Right now, they receive 28 pounds of food each morning and evening, and as hyperphagia progresses, this amount will increase to 56 pounds at each feeding. These meals consist of a balance of protein, greens, fruits, and vegetables. As the bears are in this hyperphagic state, they tend to forage for food more during the day and as a result, are more active. Thus far, they have shown a preference for eating nuts, grapes, and melon.
Check out this video of the bears exploring the complex!
On July 10, the veterinary team was able to successfully move the four male cubs from the Large Mammal enclosure to the Black Bear Complex. The cubs were sedated, examined, weighed, and ear-tagged:
Black Bear cub #24-0302, Double Green Tags: 19.20 kg
Black Bear cub #24-0385, Double Orange Tags: 16.80 kg
Black Bear cub #24-0744, Double Lavender Tags: 11.60 kg
Black Bear cub #24-0745, Double Yellow Tags: 11.70 kg
The cubs recovered from their sedation in the transition area of the bear yard and, once they were awake, were re-introduced to the three female cubs in the main part of the yard. All seven bears now have the full run of the half-acre space, including the main yard and the transition area. Check them out on Critter Cam!
On July 8, the rehabilitation staff began preparing to move the seven Black Bears from the Large Mammal Isolation enclosure to the Black Bear complex. Staff kicked off their preparations with a party!
Wildlife rehabilitation intern Jenn created various enrichment items for the bears on their final day in the LMI; the items for the bears to explore included a large banner, streamers, and several boxes filled with tasty snacks. The bears demolished the party scene in a matter of minutes.
On the morning of July 9, the staff separated the cubs in the Large Mammal enclosure and were able to contain the three females in the connecting chute. The bears were injected with an anesthetic so that the staff could safely perform a physical exam before the move. Each cub received an additional ear tag for identification purposes; Blue Tag is now Double Blue Tags, Pink Tag is Double Pink Tags, and Red Tag is Red and White Tags. Each cub weighed about 12 kg.
The three bears were moved to the transition area of yard #2 to fully recover. One of the cubs was quickly placed in the main yard since she was fully awake, while the other two recovered in the shade of the transition area. Within a couple of hours, all cubs were allowed in the main bear yard. Check out the bear yard on Critter Cam #2 – and see if you can spot the cubs!
The four male cubs will be moved in the morning on Wednesday, July 10.
During the past two weeks, the seven Black Bear cubs have continued to grow. As of June 17, the two small cubs, #24-0744 and #24-0745, weighed in at 9.6 kg and 8.47 kg, respectively. The target weight for moving the bear cubs to the Black Bear Complex is 10 kg – so the bears are nearly there!
The rehabilitation team will weigh the two smallest cubs again at the beginning of July, but at this point, the staff assumes that the cubs will soon be ready to move. The current tentative plan is to move the cubs on July 9 and 10, early in the morning. The staff will sedate the cubs, provide a physical examination, and place identifying ear tags if needed. The three female cubs will be sedated and moved on July 9; the four male cubs will move the following morning.
During the past month, the staff has been preparing for the big move. Maintenance technician Mathew has been fixing gates and plumbing and clearing debris away from the fencelines. He also installed several new pieces of “furniture,” including a hammock, tire swing, and log swing. The bear moms tested out the furniture to ensure it is safe for this year's cubs.
The rehabilitation staff has also been weaning the cubs from their formula “mush bowls” during the past couple of weeks; at this point, the bears are receiving a supplemented watered rice cereal instead of mush bowls, but are mostly focused on their adult diet of fruits, proteins, and vegetables. Each bear is receiving about 16 lbs of food each day – an amount that will only increase in the coming months!
With the recent hot weather, the rehabilitation team has noted that the cubs seem to enjoy laying on the top platform of their tower in the Large Mammal enclosure. Wildlife rehabilitation team lead Mac shared, “I went up one morning this week, and all seven were completely splayed out snoozing up there on the platform. We’ve been enjoying giving the cubs whole melons and cracking them only the tiniest bit, so they have to figure out how to open them the rest of the way themselves. We’ve also gotten several coconuts lately which they all love – several of the cubs will find a piece of coconut and go running with it and sometimes hide the pieces from the others. They also really like the abundance of peaches and nectarines we’ve received from donations.”
The bears continue to receive a variety of enrichment; the rehabilitation staff works hard to add novel food, items, and other experiences to keep the bears mentally stimulated. Recent items have included beef broth ice cubes, frozen grape “donuts,” foraging tubs, and even a bubble bath!
The seven Black Bear cubs have been doing well in the Center’s Large Mammal enclosure for the past two weeks. The cubs have had full access to both sides of the LMI since late May, and everyone is eating, growing, and playing.
Most of the cubs are getting increasingly difficult to handle, so the rehabilitation staff have stopped weighing them weekly. As of June 3, Black Bear #24-0745 weighed 6.6 kg and #24-0744 weighed 7.2 kg. The staff will plan to weigh these bears one or two more times to ensure they are still growing, but otherwise, the staff will closely monitor the bears and their diets.
Earlier this month, wildlife rehabilitation team lead Mac checked on the bears and “was surprised to see zero bears. I usually get greeted by the two original cubs and then the girls all scramble to the highest possible point, but that morning, it was just silence with no bears in sight. I was starting to get really worried when I finally saw two eyes and a nose pop out of one of the igloos, and then all seven bears came piling out of the same igloo!”
The staff will move all seven bears to the Bear Complex this summer – possibly in July if all are large enough. Staff have been preparing the yards, making repairs, and planning for this year's crop of cubs; at this point, the bears will likely move to yard #2.
The Black Bear cubs of 2024 are no longer tiny babies -- they are quickly growing, both in size and personality!
During feeding times this week, the rehabilitation team noticed some inflammation around the colored ear tags on cubs #24-0999 and #24-1000. On May 21, Rehabilitation Supervisor Alex and rehabilitation intern Jenn sedated the two female cubs to remove these tags and clean the tag sites. Instead of replacing the tags on the cubs' right ears, they opted to leave those ears without tags and gave the cubs new "button tags" on their left ears. These new tags are the same colors as before, making cub #24-0999 Left Red Tag and cub #24-1000 Left Blue Tag.
The following day, Rehabilitation Team Lead Mac discovered that cub #24-1054's right ear tag had been pulled off, likely during play sessions with the other cubs, now making her Left Pink Tag.
Mac reports that all of the cubs are "crazy and eating lots! The females still really like corn and the males all love grapes." The rehab team plans to introduce the male and female cubs later this week, although only cub #24-1000 (Blue Tag) appears to be curious about the male cubs. Rehab staff will monitor the cubs when they are introduced to ensure they are getting along.
While four of the cubs were weighed this week, the rehab team will cease regular weighing of the cubs within the next week due to safety concerns, as the cubs are growing large enough to present significant handling challenges. The two smallest males will likely be weighed one more time next week, but all future weights will have to be under sedation.
This week's weight reports for the cubs:
- #24-0744: 6.79 kg
- #24-0745: 5.89 kg
- #24-0999 (Red Tag): 7.84 kg
#24-1000 (Blue Tag): 7.99 kg
The Black Bear cubs of 2024 are continuing to grow and are now large enough to reach new areas of their enclosures!
The first two male cubs, #24-0302 and #24-0385, have figured out how to get into the hammock in their enclosure and enjoy playing together in it. The rehab staff have decided to stop weighing cub #24-0302 due to his large size and rambunctious personality. "Since he was bottle fed as a baby and is not particularly scared of us, it poses a safety risk to be in the enclosure with him or handling him," says Rehabilitation Team Lead Mac. For this reason, the rehabilitators will now shift this cub into the chute connecting the two sides of Large Mammal Isolation (LMI) when they enter the enclosure to avoid interacting with him.
The two smaller male cubs, #24-0744 and #24-0745, have been getting along well with the first two cubs, and they all enjoy playing together. Rehabilitation Supervisor Alex reports that the smaller cubs are quite feisty and hold their own with the larger cubs. "All four males tend to get excitable when they receive their mush bowls, so we have to give one bowl per cub. I recently saw the two smaller male cubs knock down #24-0385 for his mush bowl!"
Similarly to last week, the three female cubs still hide from the rehabilitation team when they enter the enclosure. The shield on the females' side of the chute was removed on May 8, so all seven bears can now interact through the grate if they choose to. That said, the rehabilitation team is in no hurry to open the chute and allow all of the cubs to interact. Mac notes that these three cubs particularly enjoy corn.
This week's weight reports for the cubs:
- #24-0385: 7.3 kg
- #24-0744: 4.31 kg
- #24-0745: 4.5 kg
- #24-0999 (Red Tag): 6.38 kg
- #24-1000 (Blue Tag): 6.5 kg
- #24-1054 (Pink Tag): 7.17 kg
With last week's admission of three female cubs, there are now a total of seven cubs at the Wildlife Center!
Wildlife rehabilitator Mac reports that the first two bear cubs, #24-0302 and #24-0385, continue to be rambunctious and enjoy meal times. The rehabilitation team is testing an animal-safe paint to identify the cubs until they are large enough to get their colored ear tags; they sprayed the back right leg of #24-0385 with green paint. This is particularly important as all the cubs are slowly introduced to each other.
On May 7, the staff introduced the second pair of male bear cubs, #24-0744 and #24-0745, to the larger cubs! While significantly different in size from the larger two cubs, the smaller cubs are playing and doing well together. Wildlife rehabilitator Mac notes that the smaller cubs are still shy and hide when rehabilitators enter the enclosure.
The newest cubs, a group of three females, are currently being housed on the opposite side of Large Mammal Isolation (LMI). A recent fecal sample from the group was negative for parasites, so rehabilitators will start to slowly introduce the cubs, but will allow them to interact with each other through the connecting chute of the LMI before giving them direct access to one another. A new giant stuffed animal is also in the enclosure for the bears -- and Critter Cam viewers! -- to enjoy.
This week's weight reports for the cubs:
- #24-0302: 8.4 kg
- #24-0385: 6.27 kg
- #24-0744: 3.64 kg
- #24-0745: 3.99 kg
- #24-0999 (Red Tag): 5.4 kg
- #24-1000 (Blue Tag): 5.25 kg
- #24-1054 (Pink Tag): 5.53 kg
All of the cubs have been weaned off of formula bottles and are receiving mush bowls twice a day, as well as a variety of other foods, including fruits, vegetables, seeds, and proteins. According to Mac, "They really love grapes and greens. The other day, I gave them peaches and pomegranates, which is possibly the first time they have had those fruits. Both enclosures have full water troughs that I think the bears are using and enjoying, especially as temperatures have been much warmer."
All four of the bear cubs have been busy eating, growing, and playing this week!
The more recently admitted cubs (#24-0744 and #24-0745) are now consistently eating on their own! According to wildlife rehabilitator Mac, the rehabilitation team offers "mush bowls three times per day, which the cubs chow down on almost immediately. They aren't too keen on most solid foods yet, but I saw some crunch marks in some of the carrots I offered today." These frequent feedings are proving to aid in the cubs' growth, as #24-0745 weighs 3.1kg and #24-0744 (lavender) weighs a little less at 2.7kg as of Monday, April 29.
The two newer cubs have been moved to the chute connecting the two sides of Large Mammal Isolation (LMI), as they aren't confident or large enough to join the two larger cubs quite yet. The rehabilitation team will need to have a good plan in place to allow the two larger cubs to eat separately from the smaller cubs until they are fully off bottles.
The two larger cubs, #24-0302 and #24-0385, are continuing to explore their enclosure in LMI and can frequently be seen playing with one another on Critter Cam. They have been particularly enjoying snuggling with their donated stuffed orangutan. As of this week, #24-0302 weighs in at 7.4kg and #24-0385, the smaller of the two, weighs 5.4kg.
The rehabilitation team is still trying to wean the largest cub off of formula bottles, and the smaller cub will likely soon be weaned to a bottle just once a day. Both cubs are each given a larger mush bowl in separate areas of the enclosure and are eating them well. Mac reports that "they have been pickier with their solid foods, but we will offer more protein items, including eggs, dog food, monkey chow, and maybe some fish."
The Black Bear cubs of 2024 are growing – in size and quantity! With the recent admission of two more cubs this week, the wildlife rehabilitators at the Center are now caring for four bear cubs.
The two cubs admitted in March 2024 now live on one side of the Large Mammal Isolation (LMI) enclosure and have been exploring independently for several days. Wildlife rehabilitator Mac reports that the cubs “are still figuring out their new space and still enjoy hiding inside their little hide in the connecting chute of the LMI. They sometimes get the zoomies and chase each other around the entire LMI and up and over the big hides and ladders.”
Cub 24-0302 currently weighs 6.86 kg and is bottle-fed once a day; cub 24-0385 weighs 4.47 kg and is bottle-fed twice daily. The bears are both eating mush bowls and a variety of solid foods. Mac shared, “Both cubs enjoy trying new solids – they particularly like grapes and most veggies!! They are not as fond of strawberries anymore and push them aside to get to the broccoli and carrots. They love their water bowl but have not yet figured out the big water trough.”
The rehabilitators attempted to shave a small patch of hair on the back right leg of cub #24-0385 since the two cubs are getting harder to tell apart, though they will likely need to try again to make a more noticeable shaved patch.
The two newer cubs – #24-0744 (Lavender paint) and #24-0745 are still housed in a Zinger crate on the opposite side of the LMI. They both gained a small amount of weight in the days following their admission, though they are still too small to be in the larger space unsupervised. In the coming days, the staff will likely move the two cubs to the connecting chute of the LMI so that they can “meet” the larger cubs, but they likely won’t have direct access in the immediate future. According to Mac, the two new cubs are “still very timid and don’t like to bottle feed, which we attempt three times daily. We got Lavender to lap formula from a bowl, so that could be promising. The cubs do sometimes eat their mush but not reliably.”
At the end of March, both male bear cubs were moved to the Large Mammal Isolation enclosure and were introduced to one another. The cubs are currently spending most of their time in a Zinger crate; during their mealtimes, the bears have been enjoying supervised playtime in one side of the Large Mammal enclosure.
Wildlife Rehabilitation Supervisor Alex noted that both cubs love to wrestle with one another, though the smaller, newer cub gets tired more quickly and prefers to take a nap shortly after drinking his bottle. The larger cub (the first of the two cubs to be admitted) uses that time to do more climbing and adventuring in the enclosure. Maintenance Technician Mathew constructed a few ladders and other climbing structures for the cubs; one of these is being put to good use!
Someone also donated two enormous stuffed animals – a sabretooth tiger and an orangutan. So far, only the orangutan has been introduced to the cubs.
As of April 8, cub #24-0302 weighed in at 5.3 kg; the second cub, #24-0385, weighs 3.12kg. Both bears have been bottle-fed twice a day and also receive mush bowls three times a day, though Alex noted that the larger cub will likely slowly be reduced to a single bottle-feeding a day after his last weigh-in.
Wildlife rehabilitation team lead Mac noted that the staff would start introducing additional solid foods into the bears’ diets as well – more fruits and vegetables. She noted, “They are both getting super into climbing instead of wrestling. The first cub likes to climb anything and everything – walls, logs, and the new ladders Mathew installed. The smaller cub is still figuring out the climbing, mainly sticking to our legs, and is starting to climb Mathew’s ladder, though he doesn’t always feel confident getting back down it.”
This week, the rehab staff will move the Zinger crate into the connecting chute between the two halves of the Large Mammal enclosure and will allow the cubs access to freely play within the chute when staff are not present.
