Oct 29, 2008 5:33 pm US/Eastern
2 N.J. Bear Cubs Orphaned After Mom Killed By Car
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Fish & Wildlife officials had to tranquilize the orphaned bear cubs so they could take them to a much safer area to live their lives.
CBS
Tragedy on a north Jersey highway involving a family of bears: two bear cubs were left stranded after mother was struck and killed by a car.
Weighing in at 58 and 52 pounds each, the two tranquilized bear cubs were quite a handful for Fish and Wildlife officers in Saddle River. Both young males were in need of rescue after their mother was killed along route 17.
"There was no place for the cubs to escape," said Mike Madonia of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife.
Sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, the mother bear and her two cubs wandered onto the roadway. She was hit and killed by a vehicle and her cubs were too frightened to leave her.
"Once she was hit, the cubs really didn't know what to do so they stayed there," said Carol Tyler of Saddle River Animal Control.
Police, Animal Control, and Fish and Wildlife officers worked together to rescue the bears. Both directions of Route 17 were shut down and netting placed over the small wooded area where the cubs were hiding.
"We just wanted to make sure they stayed put and we just ended up immobilizing the animals," said Madonia.
After they were tranquilized the 10-month-old cubs were weighed, measured and tagged. Turns out their mother had already been tagged. Animal Control had been watching the family for some time.
"We've been babysitting for a couple days watching them and keeping them out of trouble, but when she came out to the highway there is no good ending to that," said Tyler.
But there will be for the two cubs who are now being taken to a more wooded area to live.
If you see an animal in danger in Bergen County, call Animal Control at 201-752-4260.
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