Two bears badly burned in wildfires that raged across southern California in December have returned to the wild following the success of an experimental holistic healing approach.

The adult female black bears underwent a number of alternative medical treatments which included wrapping their wounds in fish skin, acupuncture, chiropractic care and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).

One veterinarian compared it to wrapping their feet up like “little spring rolls” after the bears were injured in the largest wildfire in the US state’s modern history, resulting in the evacuation of more than 100,000 residents in the region.

The bears suffered third-degree burns on all of their paws, with one of the animals forced to lay down continuously in its early recovery, left unable to walk due to the severity of the pain.

“When I saw the degree of injury that she had and how much pain she was in, as a veterinarian, it just tugs at your heart,” said Dr Jamie Peyton.

“You want to do everything possible to get these animals feeling better. It’s not their fault they were in this horrible fire and they’re in a strange environment and they don’t know what’s going on and they’re hurt.”