Cottonwood Rehab

01/18/2026

Noelle has graduated from our ICU enclosure to a larger enclosure where she will finish out her rehabilitation. She is gaining weight beautifully and we are very happy to report she is doing great. Thank you to all who continue to support us!

01/08/2026

Noelle is really growing. It took us a while to decide on a name that really suited her, but we finally did it! She wants to send all of you a big THANK YOU for all your incredible donations to help with her care. Started at 17 pounds and is now well over 25 and is feisty like a normal cub should be. Thank you all for your continued support.

12/17/2025

Just as we thought we were going to have a little break, we got a call yesterday about a new bear coming in for rehabilitation. Nirankar and Kathleen went down to prep the cage and when Ty got home he had to help finish some electrical set up while waiting for her arrival. We don’t know what happened to mom, but we can tell she has been separated from mom for a while. Because of the transportation cage, we were able to get a weight on her— 17lbs when she should be a lot closer to Linda’s 90lb weight! She will be with us through the spring as we slowly work to fatten her up. The initial days are critical not to over feed even when instinct says we should feed until full, we want her body to start processing the food correctly and not get overwhelmed. We have her in our ICU cage where she has heaters and an indoor/outdoor space.

We don’t tend to get true black colored bears in our care as many of New Mexico’s bears run in color from a light brown to dark brown with the occasional true black, but she is a great example of what most think of when we say American black bear.

If you would like to help support her care, please consider donating. Please visit www.lewf.org/donate. Thank you!!

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12/16/2025

Just as we thought we had some downtime for the winter.. we got a call from our local officer that a new bear was coming in. We don’t know too much yet, but it will be here soon. We will update once it arrives and we have it settled in.

12/15/2025

Yesterday Executive Director Nirankar Horak, board member Ty Horak, their daughter, and board treasurer James Robinson joined Sargent Perraglio of Game and Fish to release Linda. After arriving orphaned and very small, she went out at just over 90lbs! (This exceeds our goal release weight significantly.) She was happy to be home in the wild. As soon as we started on the dirt road into the woods 🪵 she was very curious and alert. There is something about getting the woods that triggers an excitement— knowing they belong there.

Meanwhile, board vice chair and head of our rehabilitation program Dr. Ramsay was joined by Lori Paras of Santa Fe Raptor Center to take Beadilaah back to the Navajo Nation. They met officers from Navajo Nation Game and Fish to take Beadilaah out to his release site. His final weight was just over 122lbs. Again, exceeding our release weight goal. He was ready to go and was not going to take a second to look back.

We are so incredibly grateful to both departments for helping us get these two bears to the perfect home and allowing us to help these bears. Now, they will find their spot to hibernate and are ready for winter. ❄️

We could not do this work without the help of all of you. Your donations and encouragement continue to help us. As we take a break from bear rehabilitation for 2025, we know this break is only temporary. 🐻 THANK YOU from all of us at Land of Enchantment Wildlife Foundation/Cottonwood Rehab for all your support this year and for the years to come. We start preparing for what 2026 brings now and look forward to what it holds.

12/03/2025

Linda thanks all who contributed to our giving Tuesday campaign. As you can see in this video she is looking great and has grown substantially in the last few months. As mentioned before, her release date is fast approaching.

There is still time to give, please visit our previous post or our website www.lewf.org.

We are continually grateful for our community of supporters. We couldn’t do what we do without you all. Thank you! 💜🐻

12/02/2025

Linda is getting close to her release date. As we get closer we wanted to share this cute photo from when she was still in ICU. It is amazing to see how far she has come. Stay tuned for more recent photos of her. This is why your donations count! Please consider us on this .

11/11/2025

At LEWF, we are incredibly grateful for our veterans. We have many who volunteer and continue to support our mission. We would like to take a moment to thank veterans today.

11/02/2025

We had an incredible donor give us 12 bushels of apples. Decided to can some for next years cubs. We went through 40 gallons of applesauce last year. Thank you to all that continue to donate to LEWF. Without your gifts many animals would not have their second chance.

10/02/2025

We are deeply saddened to hear of Dr. Jane Goodall’s passing. A pioneer that broke barriers. Her love for the world around us was an inspiration to many and we are grateful for all she did for the world we live in. May she fly high surrounded by animals and beauty.

With great sadness, the Jane Goodall Institute confirmed this morning the passing of the organization’s founder, Dr. Jane Goodall, age 91 who died peacefully in her sleep while in Los Angeles, CA for her speaking tour in the United States.

Dr. Goodall’s life and work not only made an indelible mark on our understanding of chimpanzees and other species, but also of humankind and the environments we all share. She inspired curiosity, hope and compassion in countless people around the world, and paved the way for many others — particularly young people who gave her hope for the future.

In 1960 Dr. Goodall established the longest running wild chimpanzee study in Gombe National Park, Tanzania which continues to this day. She pioneered and sustained the Jane Goodall Institute’s community-centered conservation initiatives across the chimpanzee range for over four decades. Her legacy includes the creation of JGI’s international environmental and humanitarian youth program Roots & Shoots, which is actively driving change in 75 countries and counting around the world.

The Jane Goodall Institute is incredibly grateful to all our supporters, partners, and friends, especially during this difficult time. To add a personal remembrance of Dr. Goodall and continue her legacy for future generations, please visit JaneGoodall.org/RememberingJane

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Photo credit: Marko Zlousic

09/02/2025

This is Beadilaah. Navajo for Bad Boy. He is now weighing around 45- 50 pounds thanks to all your donations. Your donations are GREATLY APPRECIATED.

If you would like to contribute, please visit our website www.lewf.org.

08/23/2025

Bear Dinner on 8/22 was so much fun! Thank you to everyone who came out to help us celebrate. A special thank you to Vigilante Pizza for catering! Thank you to our team for the sides and desserts also included! And a thank you to our co-host PEEC! We had a fun night and no one left hungry. We accomplished filling everyone up to walk away feeling like a happy bear!