SAFE HAVEN'S BLACK BEAR REHAB ROGRAM BEGAN IN 2009.

The first rescue & rehab black bears arrived at Safe Haven in June 2009. These orphan triplets were placed with us with the assistance of wildlife biologist Carl Lackey, a black bear specialist with the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

The cubs' mother, unfortunately, was a problem bear with a history of breaking into homes in Nevada’s Tahoe area. The cubs—nicknamed Huey, Dewey, and Louie by our interns—were almost four months old upon arrival; they will remain with Safe Haven until they are eighteen months old. Until they are ready for release at a remote location, the cubs are residing in our new bear rehab enclosure. In the photo at left, they are nestled together in a partially buried culvert that is used as a small hiding place.

A privacy wall made of structure boards separates the bear enclosure from view of the other activities at our sanctuary. Since these animals are being rehabbed for eventual release, it is essential to keep them apart from human contact and activities.

Below, the cubs explore their swimming pool, which is one of the essential furnishings of a bear rehab habitat.

In August the cubs devoted their attention to investigating their new jungle gym. The gym encourages exercise and develops the climbing skills that they will need in the wild. From the cubs' point of view, it's just plain fun! The logs were donated by the Bureau of Land Management.

Safe Haven's bear rehab enclosure was constructed with the support of two major grants that we received in 2008. In May we were awarded $6,725 from the Franklin J. Koch Animal & Charitable Fund, through the Nevada Community Foundation. This grant allowed us to begin the project. The Robert Z. Hawkins Foundation awarded us $5,000 in December, enabling us to continue by adding dens, a pool, and a shade cloth.

Barrick Mining/Turquoise Ridge Joint Venture donated $1,300 to sponsor Huey, the largest and most outgoing of the cubs. Khoury's Market in Winnemucca assisted our bear cub rehab program by donating all their expiring produce.

BEAR CUB RELEASE—Huey, Dewey, & Louie Return to the Wild!

Safe Haven's first three rehabbed bear cubs were returned to the wild in March 2010. Jeff DeLong of the Reno Gazette-Journal covered the release with articles and photos on March 17 and March 18.

The release site in the Sierras, near Marlette Lake, was selected by Carl Lackey, a wildlife biologist and bear specialist for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. The sedated 200-pound bears completed their journey in snowmobiles and sleds, riding for the last seven miles on the laps of Safe Haven's director, Lynda Sugasa, and our volunteer, Wendy (below left).

At the release site, they were carefully positioned in three temporary dens—buried dog kennels that had been placed at the site in advance (above right).

They have been tagged for identification and monitoring. They will eventually go their separate ways and begin exploring their new range, which is an an area where hunting is forbidden.

The NDW has supervised fifteen bear releases since the late 1990s. Only two animals returned as nuisance bears. "History shows very few of these cubs return to cause problems," Lackey said. "I'm optimistic they're going to be good little bears."

See additional updates in Mark Robison's blog on the Reno Gazette-Journal. The release story from the Gazette-Journal has been distributed by the Associated Press and reported by news outlets from coast to coast and abroad!
 

Many people are moving into black bear habitat. The bears' future depends on how well we understand and tolerate them. Visit the North American Bear Center for more information.