The hope is to eventually return the cub to the wild. The bear costume is meant to stop the rescued cub from bonding with humans. The fur coats are stored in bins with hay scented by black bears.

When staff interact with the cub, they are usually garbed head-to-toe in a bear costume. They wear a bear mask and an oversize fur coat, as well as leather gloves. They also rub black-bear-scented ...

A 2-month-old black bear cub recently rescued from the woods is now being raised by a new, faux fuzzy foster family: humans dressed as bears at the San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center.