ESTES PARK, Colo. — Three orphaned black bear cubs taken from inside the Estes Park city limits will be released in the Pike National Forest Friday night, according to a tweet from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Northeast Region.
They had been at CPW’s Frisco Creek wildlife facility near Del Norte since September 2018 when their mother was euthanized.
She was known as Scarface around Estes Park because of wounds sustained on her snout three years ago when she touched a power line. Due to her comfort being around people, she was deemed a threat to human health and safety.
She was euthanized for attempting to break into a home on Ponderosa Drive last September. It was her third reported residential break-in of the summer; she had also caused damage at a local business in her search of food, according to CPW.
The rehabilitation center played an important role in the development of these cubs. The cubs were isolated from people to deter habituation. The Frisco Creek Center also prepares these cubs for winter hibernation.
When released, the cubs will have white ear-tags on them to signal they are rehabilitated cubs. This does not count as a first strike against them, so if they get into trouble in the future, they won’t be euthanized on that first offense unless they pose an imminent threat to human health and safety, such as by breaking into a home.
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