Escaped bear cub still on the loose in South Lake Tahoe, but search parties are discouraged

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Seiad, the orphaned bear cub that escaped from Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC), is still missing. The cub arrived at LTWC in December from the Seiad area in Siskiyou County in Northern California. The cub is about 12-13 months old and gained about 25-26 pounds since arrival and weighs about 50 pounds. He is healthy, has no medical issues, and has lots of survival skills.

Due to his more reclusive personality, Seiad is a hider, traits he showed in his short time at the wildlife care facility in South Lake Tahoe. He was not a cub that interacted with the other cubs.

Both the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW) and LTWC are asking the public to not organize search parties and not to actively go out and search for him as that may push him further into the wild. With the amount of snow covering typical foraging areas, he may be in hiding but will get hungry soon. `

"We just want people to be on the lookout, and if seen, report and maintain visual contact if possible while calling LTWC or CDWF," said Peter Tira, the department's press information officer.

"We appreciate everyone's concern," said Tira. "South Lake Tahoe eyes on the landscape are important."

"We think he is in hiding," added Tira.

Even though healthy, the missing cub is young and was orphaned, not as prepared for life in the wild as the agency prefers.

"We like life to be easy for them in the beginning," said Tira of when CDFW releases them back into the wild each spring after rehabilitation efforts. "Maybe he'd adapt, but ideally we'd like to get him back into care until a little older and a little bigger."

"We are not asking anyone to track him or approach him as this may scare him deeper into hiding. We ask everyone just to be on the lookout for a small bear with a metal tag in its right ear (#1028). If you spot the bear, please do not approach. If you are able to stay within eyesight and call CDFW at (916) 358-2917 or LTWC at (530) 577-227, this would be the most helpful course of action," said CDFW in a Facebook post.

So far there have been no reported sightings.

The circumstances of the escape are under investigation by CDFW.

"They (LTWC) are an important partner with 13 cubs still there," said Tira. "We work with them all the time but take this seriously."