Welch dons a fur coat, leather gloves and a bear mask for work these days, then enters an enclosure to feed and fawn over a 12-pound black bear cub who she hopes will consider her family.

Biologists hope they can return him to the wilderness next year, provided he can learn to find food, seek shelter and avoid ...

When staff interact with the cub, they are usually garbed head-to-toe in a bear costume. They wear a bear mask and an ...

A Ramona Wildlife Center pygmy hippo that was rescued more than two decades ago broke a world record this weekend by becoming ...

Beyond their bear costumes, staff have also created two habitats for the cub - one inside and one enclosed outside - that ...

Welch and her team at the San Diego Humane Society use costumed caregivers to rehabilitate an orphaned black bear cub in ...

Alex is an Audience Writer at TheWrap, based in Los Angeles. He has been covering the entertainment industry since 2013. Before joining TheWrap in 2025, he worked as a critic and reporter for A ...