January 25, 2018—Veterinarians from UC Davis, working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife used a new method to treat two bears and a cougar burned by the Thomas Wildfire. Cloth bandages were a problem: if eaten, they could block the animals’ guts. An alternative: tilapia fish skin, which contains collagens that aid healing. Fish skin has been used as a bandage on people, though not in the U.S. Vets had to speed up the timetable when they learned one bear was pregnant. If the mother gave birth out of the wild, she might reject her cub. So a release was planned as soon as possible. Given the season, the team had to make dens for the bears near their original homes. The dens had to be as far apart as possible to keep the bears from disputing territory.
READ: Fish Skin Bandages Help Burned Bears and Cougar Heal

January 25, 2018—Veterinarians from UC Davis, working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife used a new method to treat two bears and a cougar burned by the Thomas Wildfire. Cloth bandages were a problem: if eaten, they could block the animals’ guts. An alternative: tilapia fish skin, which contains collagens that aid healing. Fish skin has been used as a bandage on people, though not in the U.S. Vets had to speed up the timetable when they learned one bear was pregnant. If the mother gave birth out of the wild, she might reject her cub. So a release was planned as soon as possible. Given the season, the team had to make dens for the bears near their original homes. The dens had to be as far apart as possible to keep the bears from disputing territory.
READ: Fish Skin Bandages Help Burned Bears and Cougar Heal