Bear cub found in Butte County dumpster with no fur responding to treatment

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGO) -- Veterinarians say a strange looking one year old bear cub with no fur is responding well to medication and likely to make a full recovery.

The cub was found alone last month in a trash bin in Butte County. The California black bear was suffering from mange, had lost her fur, and was seriously underweight.

The bear got emergency medical care at the Bear League in Lake Tahoe, and then, on Christmas Eve, volunteers for the California Fish and Wildlife Department drove her to The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center in San Diego County.

RELATED: California volunteers rescue bear cub found in dumpster with no fur

The Wildlife Center just released new video showing the cub getting a check up and a special medicated bath.

"You wouldn't think getting a bath is life-saving, but in this case it is," according to Christine Barton, Director of Operations at the Fund for Animals Wildlife Center.

The team scraped off dead crusty patches of skin, leaving the cub looking pink and rather bare, but in good condition for her fur to grow back. Skin tests show she is responding well to the treatment.

Barton says the cub has put on 20 to 25 pounds and has a healthy appetite.

The wildlife center is keeping her in a special facility and minimizing human contact so the bear stays wild and can be released when her fur grows back. Experts say that is likely to take several months.

The cub is being cared for under a special license from the California Fish and Wildlife Department.

The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center is affiliated with The Humane Society of the United States.

If you would like to help support this cub and other wildlife in need, here are the links to The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center and the Bear League.

Written and produced by Jennifer Olney