When the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) got a call about a black bear cub tangled in a soccer net, they didn’t realize how tricky it’d be to rescue the baby. The baby’s mother was standing by protectively, and she didn’t necessarily know the humans were there to help. Thankfully, this rescue story has a happy ending for both bears and humans.
“Early yesterday morning, CDFW received a call about a bear cub tangled in a soccer net at a Kings Beach park,” CDFW wrote in a Facebook post sharing the story. “When our team arrived, they found the cub stuck—closely guarded by a very protective mama bear.”
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While black bears aren’t typically aggressive toward humans without cause, mother bears are fiercely protective their cubs. CDFW doesn’t specify how they drew the mama bear away from her tangled cub, but they managed to do so.
“With some careful teamwork to loosen the net and make sure the mama bear gave them safe space they needed to work, Wildlife Officers and Biologists safely freed the cub in just over 5 minutes,” CDFW explained. “The little one darted up a nearby tree, and after a quick reunion, both bears wandered peacefully back into the wild.”
See the bear cub tangled up in a soccer net here:
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