Orphaned Arizona Bear Cubs Rescued After Mom Found Dead

SCOTTSDALE — Three cubs left orphaned when their mother was struck and killed are being examined Tuesday at the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale. The bear and her cubs were crossing State Route 77 near Dudleyville, Arizona, before dawn Monday when a driver hit them, according to the Department of Public Safety.

Troopers found the adult mother dead when they arrived. The driver was OK. One person got scratched while attempting to corral one wandering cub.

Arizona Game and Fish, along with Hayden Police, were called in to help take the animals into custody.

Handlers at the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center posted an update on their conditon late Monday night after the cubs arrived:

The cubs arrived in good condition, although one cub has a bump on the nose. They'll have a more thorough medical examination tomorrow after they've had a chance to settle in. We’re working with AZGFD and it’s likely we’ll be able to release them. Stay tuned!

The plan will be to make sure the cubs are healthy and at some point return them to the wild, Mark Hart, Game and Fish spokesman told the Arizona Daily Star.

Bear cubs orphaned early today in a rare auto-on-bear accident no. of Winkleman on SR 77. En route to Scottsdale sanctuary in good health. One first responder scratched, treated and OK. Be bear aware out there. pic.twitter.com/ilIflbM88V
— AZ Game & Fish Dept (@azgfdTucson) April 29, 2019

This morning, troopers from District 6, Oracle, responded to a crash involving a bear on SR-77 at Dudleyville. The bear was deceased. With help, the trooper was able to capture the bear’s 3 cubs and turned them over @azgfd. #CourteousVigilance pic.twitter.com/2g7ZTGaYBK
— Dept. Public Safety (@Arizona_DPS) April 29, 2019