Mama bear and cub relocated after getting into garage in Arizona. See them run free
A mama bear and one of her two cubs were relocated after they got into garbage inside a resident’s garage in Arizona, officials said.
Residents had already spotted the mama bear and her two cubs in the area during the last couple of months, and while they weren’t aggressive they appeared to be getting more comfortable venturing into heavily populated areas, the Arizona Game and Fish Department said in a news release Nov. 1.
This time, a resident flagged down wildlife officers who were patrolling the area of Crown King, a town situated in the Bradshaw Mountains, the agency said.
The resident informed the officers the bears were “currently in his garage and getting into garbage,” the department said.
The wildlife officers “quickly evaluated the situation” and darted the bears to tranquilize them.
Members of the Crown King Fire Department helped the wildlife officers capture the mama bear and one of the cubs and move them further away from people, officials said.
“The other cub quickly climbed a power pole, became entangled in phone lines near electrical equipment, and fell asleep,” the agency said.
The agencies contacted Arizona Public Service for help. A worker drove his bucket truck the almost 60 miles from Prescott and managed to lower the cub to the ground, officials said.
The agency then released the mom and cub in a remote area, officials said. Video shows the mama bear bursting from a bear cage into the wilderness with one cub following closely behind.
“The other cub was discovered to have a previous infection in one of its legs when it was captured, and it was taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center, where it was evaluated by a veterinarian and treated with antibiotics,” officials said.
Due to the severity of its infection, the cub won’t be able to be released into the wild, spokesperson Michael Colaianni told McClatchy News on the phone.
Some on social media had wondered whether the second cub had been safely released, while others thanked the agency for saving and relocating them.
“Outstanding!!” one person said.
Crown King is about an 80-mile drive north from Phoenix.
This story was originally published November 7, 2024 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Mama bear and cub relocated after getting into garage in Arizona. See them run free."
