Orphaned Bear Cubs In Rehab Until They Can Return To The Wild

DEL NORTE, Colo. (CBS4)- Three orphaned black bear cubs are learning to prevent the mistake of their mother. Colorado wildlife officers are caring for the bears at the Frisco Creek Wildlife Facility near Del Norte in the San Luis Valley.

They were rescued after their mother broke into a home in Estes Park. It was the sow's third break-in of the summer. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers had to euthanize her.

The mother was well known in Estes Park. Scared from touching a power line, she had become known as "Scarface."

"She posed a safety risk to the public and we felt compelled to act to protect the community. We also hope that by removing the cubs from this situation, they will not repeat the behavior of their mother and will have a higher chance of survival over the long term," Kristin Cannon, CPW wildlife manager said.

The three bear cubs will call the Frisco Creek wildlife facility home until CPW thinks they're grown and smart enough to return to the wild.

"We are not taking them away. We are not putting them in a zoo. We are not killing them. We are successfully returning them to the wild, once they are ready to be self-sufficient."

The facility works hard to make the bears home lifelike. Heavy human interaction is strictly prohibited. And it tries to keep the bears' natural instincts to stay away from people.

The next step is to continue to build on the bears' natural instincts and pack on the pounds before winter.

The facility rehabilitates between 15 to 20 bears a year.