3 orphaned black bear cubs receive care at Brevard Zoo

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Three orphaned black bear cubs found alone in the wild by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's bear management team are receiving care at the Brevard Zoo.

The cubs—named Sammy, Scruffy and Grape—are the zoo's first black bear patients of the season.

Two orphaned black bear cubs Scruffy (left) and Sammy (right) are receiving care at the Brevard Zoo. (Credit: Brevard Zoo)

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One of the cubs, Sammy, was found covered in ticks in the Florida Panhandle, according to the zoo. Believed to be a few months old, he was underweight and struggled to use his limbs properly.

The zoo said Sammy recovered after the team removed the ticks and gave him a full examination.

Scruffy, a four-pound female cub, was found alone on the road in Ocala National Forest. The zoo said it didn't believe Scruffy had been on her own for long, and she arrived in "relatively healthy" condition.

The third bear cub, Grape, was found wandering Ocala National Forest alone by deputies with the Marion County Sheriff's Office.  When he arrived, Grape needed a weight boost, and he appeared to have a small injury to his front limb.

Two orphaned black bear cubs Scruffy (left) and Grape (right) are receiving care at the Brevard Zoo. (Credit: Brevard Zoo)

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What's next:

The zoo's veterinary team is rehabilitating the cubs with the goal of returning them to the wild. That care includes exams, treatments and feeding.  

Since the cubs are so young, the care team disguise themselves in masks and ghille suits when interacting with the bears so that the cubs don't associate humans with food.

"Our current priority is boosting all three of the cubs' weights with a formula-based diet and encouraging plenty of rest," the zoo said in a blog post.

Once they get a little bigger, the cubs will be moved to the behind-the-scenes Black Bear Rehabilitation Center for the remainder of their time at the zoo.  

Brevard Zoo's bear rehabilitation program

Brevard Zoo rehabilitated and released 17 black bear cubs back into the wild last year, the zoo said. 

The zoo works closely with Florida Fish and Wildlife and other organizations to rehabilitate orphaned black bear cubs to give them the best chance to survive in their natural habitat.