Bear cubs rescued from the Inland Empire after their mothers were killed in separate incidents

A trio of bear cubs that were found orphaned in the Inland Empire have received a clean bill of health and are being housed at the Ramona Wildlife Center until they can be released back into the wild.

The bears arrived separately at the San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Center about a month ago after being rescued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The center specializes in caring for native apex predators and birds of prey.

Two of the cubs, a brother and sister, are about 6 months old, and were rescued from the Valley of the Falls in the San Bernardino Mountains after their mother was killed by a civilian as she tried to break into a cabin. The third unrelated cub, a female whose mother was fatally struck by a car near Lake Arrowhead, arrived a few days after the siblings.

The cubs were kept apart for 48 hours before they were placed together in an appropriate enclosure with access to an outdoor area.

"The single female cub, who is actually much bigger than the two siblings, was rather shy and quiet in the beginning," Dr. Jon Enyart, Senior Director of Project Wildlife, said in a statement. "It took some time for the brother and sister to invite her into their family, but now they do everything together."

Earlier this month, all three bears were anesthetized for their first physical exam and were found to be in excellent health. They were also microchipped during the examination. 

After they woke up, they were moved to a full outside enclosure for the first time, a significant step in the cubs' preparation for returning to the wild.

"It is so important that these bears do not get comfortable around humans and associate us people with food," Andy Blue, campus director of the center, said in a statement. "For their own safety and the safety of the public, we want them to avoid humans at all cost, and learn how to forage and hunt so that they can survive on their own in the wild.