Our Animals

We are so lucky to have bats in Lake Tahoe! All of our bats are insect-eating, and may eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes per hour. This makes them an important part of our environment, and beneficial to humans and other animals that can be stricken by mosquito-borne diseases. They are amazing to raise and care for. Please be kind to these wonderful animals — we need them to be active and healthy here in Lake Tahoe!

When LTWC received its permit to raise bear cubs in 2000, we were thrilled. Before that, orphaned cubs who had lost their mothers due to things like car accidents or depredation permits were also killed. Now, these cubs can come to LTWC until they are old enough to care for themselves in the wild.

Because bears are so intelligent, we need to give them enrichment projects and toys to keep them motivated and interested in their surroundings, which is a vital part of their formative years. Because of their playful nature, cubs are one of the most popular animals on our webcams.

LTWC goes to great lengths to ensure that cubs do not become habituated to humans during their stay with us. Their enclosure has three rooms, separated by guillotine doors so that volunteers are never in the same room or even visible to the cubs during cleaning. On release day, cubs are frightened off so that they will remain wary of people.

Because of their size and voracious appetites, bears are one of the most costly animals to raise. Please consider making a donation to help us continue to help these beautiful animals.

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