LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Two bear cubs have been fully rehabilitated and released back into the wild after they were burned in eastern Washington wildfires during the summer of 2021.
The bears suffered severe burns to the face, ears and paws from the Twenty-Five Mile Fire in Lake Chelan. The cubs were brought to the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in Lynnwood where they underwent extensive treatment.
In August, workers at PAWS told KING 5 they had never in their 34 years of treating bears encountered any that had been burned in a wildfire.
While recovering, the cubs were kept away from humans as much as possible and monitored around the clock by video. While the bears were orphaned, caretakers at PAWS taught them to forage, find food and fend for themselves.
Rehabilitators believed the bears are brothers and were able to successfully reintroduce them after they made progress in treatment.
After undergoing a medical exam, the cubs hibernated for the winter at the rehabilitation center and were released back into the wild earlier in May. The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife previously said it planned to fit the bears with GPS collars.
Rescue workers said they're now seeing more wildfire-wounded animals brought to them every year. Washington wildfires have scorched more than 4 million acres over the past decade. Wildfires burned 1 million more acres in the Pacific Northwest in 2021 compared to 2020.
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