Orphaned black bear cub escapes enclosure in South Lake Tahoe, public's help sought to locate him

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) are asking for the public’s help in locating a young, orphaned black bear that has escaped from LTWC’s facility on Al Tahoe Blvd. in South Lake Tahoe where it had been rehabilitating since mid-December.

The 13-month-old male black bear weighs approximately 50 pounds, is microchipped, and has a visible, metal tag in its right ear numbered 1028. The bear escaped from LTWC’s outdoor enclosure Thursday evening, Feb. 9, at approximately 5:30 p.m.

The young bear was rescued from the Seiad Valley in Siskiyou County on Dec. 13, 2022, too young to be on its own and severely underweight at just 20 pounds. The bear was transported to CDFW’s Wildlife Health Lab in Rancho Cordova for a veterinary examination and was found to be in otherwise good health. The bear was moved to LTWC for rehabilitation and eventual release back to the wild. The bear has added 30 pounds in two months of care at LTWC.

The young bear is not in imminent danger and is not a threat but is believed to be too young to survive long-term on its own, particularly given the deep snow and winter conditions present in South Lake Tahoe.

Given these wintry conditions, CDFW and LTWC are asking the public, both residents and visitors to the South Shore Lake Tahoe area, to keep on the lookout for the bear but not to actively search for it or to approach it if seen. The bear dislikes people and can be highly skittish. Please do try to maintain visual contact with the bear when reporting sightings, if possible.

Sightings and tips should be reported to CDFW at (916) 358-2917 or LTWC at (530) 577-2273. CDFW is looking for the bear and investigating the circumstances surrounding the escape.

There was a previous escape from LTWC, Tamarack, the bear cub burned in its namesake, the Tamarack Fire in August 2021. He had been treated at LTWC for burns to his paws but got out from the bear enclosure which was new at the time. He was never returned but sighted numerous times over the past 17 months and appears to have thrived. Tamarack was smaller than this current missing cub.

After that escape, the non-profit could not keep cubs at the facility until it passed a CDFW inspection.

This winter there has been nearly a record number of cubs at the facility, with 14 still calling South Lake Tahoe a temporary home.