The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) agency released sped-up footage showing its officers relocating eight orphaned bear cubs into artificial dens on Pikes Peak, Colorado on Jan. 15.
The cubs had spent the previous months in a wildlife rehabilitation center after losing their mothers to car or train accidents, the actions of poachers or euthanization because the adult bears entered a home in search of food.
“Each cub was tranquilized, weighed (they ranged from 110 to 140 pounds each) and placed in a trap for transportation to the den sites on Pikes Peak,” the CPW wrote in its news release.
They were then carefully placed in the dens, which were constructed from logs, branches and a mix of straw, hay, and alfalfa, before being thickly covered with snow.
The agency hopes the bears will remain in their warm new dens until spring, after which they return to life in the forest.
Furry Intruders
For the bears that don’t have the luxury of being dragged to their newly built shelters while in a deep sleep, some get caught snooping around on private property.
But not without consequence.
In 2018, a black bear was caught snooping around someone’s house, the bear placed its snout on a black mat and received a short and non-lethal electric shock.
The CPW suggested building a Bear “Unwelcome” Mat Flyer as a bear deterrent to keep bears wild instead of relying on the food stored in human households.
They also advised people to check local laws and regulations in case it was illegal and to put up a sign to let human visitors know that there is an active electrical mat in use.
To ensure that black bears don’t get injured on these custom made mats, CPW also notes that people should make mats to black bear specifications as most custom made mats on the internet are for grizzly bears.
Unwelcome mats made for grizzly bears could seriously injure a black bear due to their smaller body, smaller paws, and shorter claws. If the nails on the mat are too long or spaced too far apart, they may also injure black bears.
