Earlier this morning, a pair of bear cubs were rescued from the Castle Pines North area after their mother had been shot and killed. A potential third cub could be on the loose.
Officials from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Northeast Region (CPW NE) recovered two bear cubs from an area in Castle Pines North on Friday morning. The cubs' mother was shot and killed, and CPW NE officials are still investigating her death.
OCN spoke with CPW's Jason Clay to discuss the cubs' conditions and where they are being relocated:
"The cubs are being relocated to a wildlife species rehabilitation center in the southwest part of the state, in Belmar. They're already on their way there, as we speak. And the rehabilitation center will take those cubs and, basically, try to get them to a point where they'll be able to survive hibernation on their own ... The cubs need to get up to 70 pounds or more, in that ballpark. And either during the winter or after the winter, we could be releasing them into the wild. Or, we may release them next spring. But, overall, our goal is to get them to pack on a lot of pounds and survive hibernation."
Courtesy of Joe Oltmann
Reports also indicate that a third bear cub could be out there. Clay suggests that while this may be true, it is fairly unlikely because if "the cubs were stranded, they would have stayed together."
However, officials are not ruling anything out at this point. So, if anyone sees a stray cub without its mom or know of its whereabouts in the Castle Pines North area, please call CPW or local law enforcement immediately.
We recovered these 2 orphaned cubs this morning in the area of Castle Pines North. The death of their mother is under investigation. Initial reports stated there were 3 cubs. If anyone has information on the death of the sow or has seen the third curb, please call 303-291–7227. pic.twitter.com/tp8Dzij5Cr
— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) June 28, 2019
In Colorado, there are regulations and laws in place for hunting and poaching, and for a good reason. The death of the cubs' mother is in strict violation of those laws. "To be able to hunt a bear legally, during hunting season, you have to possess a game tag," said Clay. "Hunting season for bears is not until September of this year."
And according to CPW, it is a felony offense to kill and abandon big game wildlife – especially when it is not currently hunting season in Colorado. You can read CPW's full list of laws and regulations for hunting in their big game brochure here.
If you have any additional information as it pertains to this investigation, please contact CPW at 303-297-7227.
