Cottonwood Rehab

Cottonwood Rehab Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Cottonwood Rehab, PO Box 957, Espanola, NM.

❓The wildlife rehabilitation program of Land of Enchantment Wildlife Foundation.
🐻NM’s only Bear Rehabilitation center
🦌Had the only elk foster mom in NM - ISH turned 25 this year!
📍www.lewf.org/donate

09/07/2026

Over the last few weeks we had to make several adjustments to get each bear into the right space. Everyone is settling in great and bonds are being made.

Helen (from Santa Fe) was move in with the Cedar Crest Twins. They were not quite sure of her, but now all get along. Boo-boo joined the Galisteo twins. Lil D joined Kuhai and instantly bonded, often when we go down to feed they are cuddled together. And of course we put Chaco, Zuni and Dolly together as they were siblings.

Right now all is settled and we hope it continues so stay this way. 13 bears and 2 elk claves are a lot to feed. Right now we are having to spend about $1300 a week. We are grateful for all the support we have received. Every like, share, or penny received goes a long way to helping us care for these bears and get them ready for their eventual release.

Thank you to Santa Fe Botanical Garden for having us today to celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day. It was such...
09/05/2026

Thank you to Santa Fe Botanical Garden for having us today to celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day. It was such a great day talking about vultures, specifically Turkey Vultures like Bat.

09/03/2026

ISH (I’m so Helpful) was not trained to open doors, but she learned because her apples were inside. We have to carabiner the outside to keep her locked out when we are not around as she has previously broken the handle. 🤣

Now, thinking of this ability that our elk learned for some apples, let’s talk about bears. Bears paws are quite dexterous We see them opening cars, getting into homes through doors and windows, and they are very strong so tearing into a space using a small hole isn’t unheard of. This year we have heard of many bears breaking into homes through windows and other means. If ISH can use a handle, a bear can learn too. We cannot stress enough that windows and doors need to be secured because a small reward will keep bears coming back for more.

09/03/2026

While we were feeding the bears yesterday, we enjoyed some rain. It was quite beautiful. Prepping 13 bowls takes some time. The elk calves were enjoying the moisture too. They played for a bit and then ran off and way from us(exactly what we want).

If we were not busy enough.. BooBoo was finally caught after weeks of trying. As we were getting ready to leave to Bear ...
08/30/2026

If we were not busy enough.. BooBoo was finally caught after weeks of trying. As we were getting ready to leave to Bear Dinner, we got the call she was on her way. This bear had been reported to us for several weeks in Pojoaque area and was starving. It took several attempts to get her. During that time, she was able to put on some weight due to being able to eat the food from the trap without being caught but she still needs a lot more weight. She is with the Galisteo twins.

Additionally, today as we recover from all the festivities of Bear Fest, the 3rd cub from the relocation group arrived. She is thinner than her siblings and instead of being found in Grants was found in Gallup. There has still not been any signs of mom. Hopefully she has found her new home in the woods and will be able to stay in the forest with any future cubs she may have. Dolly 🫶🏻💕 took no time to reconnect with her siblings, Chaco and Zuni.

Support LEWF with a t-shirt! 🐻 We are so grateful for all the love and support. Bear Dinner and Bear Festival was such a...
08/30/2026

Support LEWF with a t-shirt! 🐻 We are so grateful for all the love and support. Bear Dinner and Bear Festival was such a great success! A big thank you to our cohosts - Pajarito Environmental Education Center. So much was learned, great discussions were had, and memories were made. This year, we debuted our new t-shirt design and adult sizes sold out early. For those who were unable to attend or we sold out before you were able to get one, here is another opportunity to get your shirt! Shirts will be for sale through 9/13/26, get yours before the campaign closes. All shirts will ship 12 working days after that. https://www.customink.com/fundraising/lewf-bear-shirt?utm_campaign=fr_organizer_email&utm_content=lewf-bear-shirt&utm_medium=social&utm_source=copy-link

A look into our feed station. One of the black bowls is shared by 2, but this is what it looks like to feed 11 bears. We...
08/28/2026

A look into our feed station. One of the black bowls is shared by 2, but this is what it looks like to feed 11 bears.

We are so grateful for the outpouring of love we have received. Because of all the amazing donations that have come in, our hearts and refrigerators are full. 🫶🏻🐻

Just like these bears, we will be eating great tonight at Bear Dinner, Eat Like a Bear!

08/27/2026

Though rain can provide more food sources for bears, it’s unclear when the influx of sightings in urban areas might slow down.

Already checking out the cage while sister (second picture) watches. Zuni, just came today from Grants about 4 miles awa...
08/25/2026

Already checking out the cage while sister (second picture) watches. Zuni, just came today from Grants about 4 miles away from where her sister was picked up. Mom and the 3rd sibling haven’t been seen. All four were relocated after mom was in Albuquerque area and in an unsafe environment. We hope that mom and the other sibling is safe and just got too far ahead of these two on their journey to find food. It is always the hope that mom and cubs stay together, but sometimes relocation causes a separation. This is why we try to stress to everyone that food and water sources are not provided to bears if they are around your neighborhood. We want them to continue on their way together instead of them having to be placed in unfamiliar territories, but when food and water are available in neighborhoods the bears will stay around. Like humans, bear moms will do anything they can to feed their babies. We are grateful for Sargent Wimberly for bringing her out all this way so she will have a second chance when the time comes.

Lil D. Came in today from the Albuquerque area. Originally thought to have found her self in concrete, thankfully it was...
08/24/2026

Lil D. Came in today from the Albuquerque area. Originally thought to have found her self in concrete, thankfully it was only clay. She was following a male yearling who has been relocated as he was of decent weight. Lil was having a hard time walking, not wanting to put weight on her feet. Once the clay was cleaned off, we started to find cactus quills in her paws which would explain the hard time walking. We also checked her mouth, and the last picture is just some of the quills pulled out, many more were pulled but not pictured. She is now in our ICU enclosure so we can keep an eye on her to ensure she doesn’t end up with an infection from all the quills. She will be on antibiotics. Lil is bear number 10. Thank you to everyone who has been sharing, supporting, and interacting. We couldn’t do what we do without your support!!

Address

PO Box 957
Espanola, NM
87567

Telephone

(505) 927-1918

Website

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