Three bear cubs rescued after mom euthanized for breaking into home, TN officials say

Three bear cubs needed help after their mom was killed for breaking into a home in Tennessee, officials said.

The “curious” sisters have now been rescued after wildlife officers said the mother was “past the point” of learning new behavior.

The bear was frequenting a neighborhood in eastern Tennessee, getting into construction dumpsters and truck beds, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said.

Experts said they recommended “hazing” the bear and gave the residents rubber buckshot to deter her from these activities, but the bear eventually broke into a home through a garage door and ate from a refrigerator, officials said.

Photos shared by the agency showed the damage to the closed garage door.

The bear was trapped and euthanized Aug. 2, officials said.

Relocation often doesn’t work, as bears can find their way home over long distances or continue their behavior in a new area, according to the Tennessee agency.

“A bear that is willing to break apart a garage door to get inside for trash and a refrigerator full of food is a very dangerous bear,” Appalachian Bear Rescue said in an Aug. 2 Facebook post. “TWRA had no choice but to euthanize her.”

Rescuers said homes in certain areas of Sevier County don’t have a trash collection service and must take their own items to convenience centers, which leads to trash sitting out for bears to paw through.

The mom’s three bear cubs were also trapped and in need of care, according to the bear rescue center, which took the cubs in. Rescuers named them Bubbles, Mojo and Fuzzy.

All three of the female cubs weighed about 30 pounds and were deemed healthy, the rescue center said on Facebook.

However, one of the cubs had plastic in her system, which the center said is one of the many hazards bears can encounter when eating trash.

The bears began receiving deworming medication and are currently under observation until they’re ready to move to a wild enclosure.

The cubs are “active” and “wreaking havoc” while playing in a kiddy pool in their temporary enclosure, according to rescuers.

The center said it will work to give the cubs “a second chance at life in the wild where they belong.”

Sevier County lies along the border of North Carolina.

This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Three bear cubs rescued after mom euthanized for breaking into home, TN officials say."