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BACK INTO THE WILD: Placing bear cubs on the slopes of Pikes Peak

Posted at 6:39 PM, Jan 15, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-16 10:56:42-05

PIKES PEAK – Eight orphaned bear cubs have been successfully rehabilitated and returned to the wild.

On Tuesday morning, Colorado Parks and Wildlife placed the massive fuzzballs into artificial dens, which were then sealed in the hopes that the cubs will hibernate through the remainder of winter.

The group of eight, taken from a larger group of 15 cubs being rehabilitated at the Wet Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, was further split into 2 smaller packs and placed in dens created by CPW on the slopes of Pikes Peak.

Each cub, weighing more than 100 pounds apiece, was tranquilized before movement and could be heard snoring loudly for the duration of the relocation.

CPW said it has seen success with this program in the past and has high hopes for this year’s cubs.

CPW hopes that once the cubs wake from hibernation, they will stay out in the wild, eating available food sources, and will go on to be successful bears.

If you would like to see behind the scenes EVEN MORE, then head on over to our story where we talk to the couple that rehabilitated the bears just released.