Wildlife officials relocate mama bear, cubs from Arizona town

PHOENIX — A mama bear and her cubs were getting too comfortable with human areas in an Arizona town and were moved to another location, authorities said Friday.

The mama bear, called a sow, and her two cubs were seen in a Crown King resident’s garage on Sunday afternoon going through the garbage, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD).

It wasn’t the first time the bears were seen in the community about 80 miles north of downtown Phoenix. The bears weren’t aggressive toward people but had developed a comfort level in human areas, so AZGFD officials decided moving them was the best course of action.

Officials tranquilized the mother and both cubs, but one of the babies climbed a power pole, became entangled in phone lines and fell asleep.

The cub was eventually brought down after an Arizona Public Service employee drove his bucket truck from Prescott and safely lowered the bear.

The sow and one of the cubs were released in an approved site in a remote area on Monday. The other cub had an infection in one of its legs and was treated with antibiotics at a wildlife rehabilitation center.

“The department reminds people that the chance of bear conflicts can be reduced by keeping food sources and garbage secured away and inaccessible to wildlife,” AZGFD said in a press release.

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