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He’s picture grr-fect. An infant black bear that was found orphaned, sickly and starving in a California national forest is now in recovery — and with a growing belly — after wildlife

rescuers took it in, adorable photos show. The malnourished 2-month-old male bear cub was found by California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists in Los Padres National Forest with no

mother nearby on April 12, KUSI reported. “He was extremely fragile when he arrived,” said Autumn Welch, Wildlife Operations Manager at Ramona Wildlife Center, which took in the lonely cub

at the San Diego Humane Society-operated sanctuary. The little bear was exhibiting signs of severe health problems when he was rescued. EXPLORE MORE “After going several days without

nutrition, it was touch-and-go at first. But now, he’s active, eating well and gaining weight steadily,” Welch told KUSI. The rescue was considered “unusual” as the 2-month-old bruin was the

youngest such bear the wildlife center had ever taken in, Welch added. Now safe and healthy, the contented brown-coated cutie is seen in photos nursing on bottles, happily slopping up

gruel, and serving serious side-eye to the camera from his temporary home. Biologists helping care for the wild guy put on bear masks and creepy leaf-laden hoods during feedings to prevent

human imprinting on the orphaned cub so it can eventually integrate back into the wild more successfully, SDHS said, according to the report. Photos shared by San Diego Humane Society show

the now full-figured bear babe chomping on a plush bear’s nose and playing with what appear to be rubber dog toys. San Diego Humane Society plans to rerelease the bear back into the wild

when it hits the 1-year-old mark. Similar plans are set in Hunter, New York, where animal rescue group Friends of the Feathered and Fluffy have been rehabilitating eight yearling black bear

cubs who have been found abandoned by their mothers. Reintegrated orphaned black bears have a survival rate similar, if not higher, than their mothered counterparts, according to a study

published in the Journal of Wildlife Management. California Fish and Wildlife Department estimates the state is home to as many as 80,000 black bears.