Video of the release shows the mother and cubs running into the forest

NEED TO KNOW

• Colorado Parks and Wildlife relocated a mother bear and her two cubs found living under a family’s deck
• Five orphaned bear cubs were also released this month after rehabilitation at CPW’s Frisco Creek facility
• The National Park Service issued summer safety tips for visitors to avoid dangerous encounters with bears

A mother bear and her cubs have safely returned to the wild.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) said it released a mother bear and her two cubs back into the wild on Saturday, May 23, after the trio was found under a home in Colorado.

"Wildlife Officers responded to specific information today of black bears in a Colorado Springs north gate neighborhood. A sow ( approx. 150lbs) and her two toddler cubs ( approx. 100lbs each) were located under the back deck of a family home," the agency wrote in an X post.

CPW officers immobilized the bears and placed them in wildlife trailers. The bears were then given a "wake-up" drug, relocated, and released several hours south of where they were found into what CPW called a "better bear habitat."

Video footage shows the moment officials open the wildlife trailers and release the bears, who excitedly run off into the woods.

Earlier this month, five bear cubs were released back into the wild after spending time at CPW's Frisco Creek wildlife rehabilitation facility.

The bears were found as orphans last summer and were "severely underweight", according to the agency.

"Some of them were getting a little too comfortable in town, and people were not giving them a chance to truly be wild bears. So, they were taken to our rehab facility, where they spent the winter." CPW wrote in a Facebook post.

The agency explained that the bears were found too late in the summer to be released immediately, so they spent the colder months in artificial dens at the CPW facility. After waking up from hibernation, the bears had gained weight and strength and were ready to be released.

"These cubs all made a break for the trees once their paws hit the ground. In the same groupings they were found in last fall, these young bears are starting this spring off on the right foot — deep in the forest, right when the grass is turning green," CPW said.

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In mid-May, the National Park Service issued a warning about bears at national parks ahead of the summer travel season.

"National parks are wild places, and wildlife safety is visitor safety," Jessica Bowron, the agency comptroller and acting director, said in a statement to Travel + Leisure. "Simple actions, like giving bears space, securing food, and knowing what to do before you enter bear country, can protect visitors and bears."

The agency encouraged travelers not to use headphones while hiking, not to travel solo, to store their food and trash in secure locations, and to carry bear spray.

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