A disease popping up in California’s bear population is puzzling wildlife officials.
The brain disease makes the black bears unafraid of humans and causes other health problems that can be deadly.
Over the past 12 months, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has gotten reports of four different bears – all exhibiting the same strange behavior. Almost dog-like, the bears appear not be afraid of humans. They’re usually lethargic, underweight and have a head tilt characteristic of this troubling disease.
Necropsies revealed the bears have encephalitis, a swelling of the brain. What’s still unknown is the cause of swelling.
Possibly due to a viral infection, officials in Nevada first started noticing the disease in 2014.
Since then, encounters have been increasingly common.
In a widely seen video in 2019, one of the bears was seen approaching a snowboarder at a Tahoe ski resort. Severely underweight, he was taken to the San Diego Humane Society’s large animal campus.
"When a bear is exhibiting that sort of behavior, it’s dangerous for bear and people, as well," said Andy Blue, who oversees the campus.
Blue said the bear, named Benji, has recovered, though he suffers from seizures and requires a high level of care that means he will likely never be released back into the wild.
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