Calaveras County Residents Worry State Will Euthanize Orphaned Bear Cubs
CALAVERAS COUNTY (CBS13) — Three orphaned bear cubs have many people in a Calaveras County community concerned. The young cubs survived after someone killed their mother, and now the cubs may end up euthanized by the state group that's authorized to protect them.
The three bear cubs have been seen together around the community of Mountain Ranch, but the Department of Fish and Wildlife says their best chance of survival is if they stay away from people.
Sandy Winters likes to see what his outdoor cameras caught the night before, and bears really appreciate the bathtub he put out back for wildlife.
The three cubs were the talk of the town during the summer when they started coming by with their mother, but someone shot her, leaving the cubs on their own.
The state agency is investigating the killing of their mother, but will not be relocating the cubs. It says the cubs are sub-adult -- more than 15 pounds -- and should be able to survive.
But the new threat to the cubs' survival is how close they come to houses. If they're deemed a public-safety threat or cause property damage, the agency says it will euthanize them.
It's a policy that angers homeowners like Winters who say they've never had problems with bears being so close.
"If they wanted to come in, they can just push the door down. That's how big they are," he said.
Mountain Candle Works owner Cheri Sanders says despite how close they get, the bears have never been a problem.
"This is their neighborhood. We're just visitors here," she said.
The agency says to keep the bears safe, homeowners should secure all food sources. It hopes the newly independent cubs leave town and grow up wild.
