HOOPA, Calif. - Two bear cubs have been given a new lease on life for the New Year after being rescued in Northern California by humans.
On New Year's Eve, a female cub was spotted near a school on the Hoopa Reservation, climbing a baseball field backstop and was apparently stuck. Rescuers pulled her down and took her to safety, CBS San Francisco reported .
"She was underweight, we estimate about 20-25 pounds," said Cheryl Millham of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care Inc. She said the diminished weight likely made the bear easier to capture. Officials say they hope the cub can be released in the spring.
"California Fish and Wildlife decided it would be best for this cub to come here so we can put some weight on," according to a statement.
A week before, another cub approached an elderly woman's home in Sayler, Calif., looking for food. A neighbor trapped the bear, which was also found to be drastically underweight.
Both cubs are about a year old, but normally they do not separate from their mothers until they are about a year and a half. It is unclear what caused these animals to split from their mothers.
Millham said the a full medical examination is pending but for now the bears are under the supervision of Lake Tahoe Wildlife .
Both cubs are about a year old, but normally they do not separate from their mothers until they are about a year and a half. It is unclear what caused these animals to split from their mothers.