Orphaned bear cubs taken to San Diego for care after mom is euthanized for attacking people

Two orphaned bear cubs are settling in at a California animal welfare center after their mother was euthanized for attacking people, the San Diego Humane Society said Tuesday.  In:

Two orphaned bear cubs are settling in at a California animal welfare center after their mother was euthanized for attacking people, the San Diego Humane Society said Tuesday. 

DNA testing confirmed the mother bear was involved in two public safety incidents in less than a year, CBS Los Angeles reported. In June 2025, the mother bear swiped at an elderly man sitting on his enclosed porch, according to the station. Earlier in March, the bear swiped at a woman walking her dog. Both incidents took place in the neighborhood of Monrovia, California. Both people recovered from minor injuries, CBS Los Angeles said. 

City manager Dylan Feik told CBS Los Angeles that the city council and some residents pushed for the bear and her cubs to be relocated to the Angeles National Forest, but state officials decided to euthanize the adult bear. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife told CBS Los Angeles that the decision was made after "a thorough assessment of the bear's behavior and the circumstances of the incident."

Wildlife veterinarians determined the cubs are two or three months old and will need months of extensive care, the organization said. Black bear cubs are generally weaned from their mothers between six and eight months of age, but stay with them until they are about 18 months old, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Bear cubs typically follow their mother everywhere and learn skills including how and where to find food. 

The San Diego Humane Society said it hopes to be able to return the two cubs to the wild. Rehabilitating the cubs will hopefully ensure they do not follow their mother's example of exploring human-populated areas, the organization told CBS affiliate KFMB.