5 orphaned bear cubs moved to dens made by Colorado Parks & Wildlife
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WETMORE, CO (KCNC) — Five bear cubs will get another chance to live in the wild after Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers released them into two dens near Pikes Peak. Officers built the dens last week.
The cubs were orphaned and spent months at the Wet Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation in Wetmore. There they “learned to fear humans” and gained weight to sustain hibernation.
On Wednesday, officers tranquilized them before moving them.
“We’re going to take the hobbles off, the blindfolds, the muzzles, give them the reversal drug, and they could wake up literally within a minute,” one officer said.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife tweeted:
“The orphaned bear cubs never awoke from the tranquilizer and were oblivious that they had been released into the wild. They’ll figure it out when spring comes and they can roam the forests of Pikes Peak.”
Officers laid hay down to help keep the bears warm. Once the bears were given the reversal drug, officers closed the door and covered it with more hay.
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