Arizona trooper rescues bear cubs

PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. (KPHO/CNN) – Three bear cubs were rescued Monday morning after a car crash in Arizona that left their mama dead.

The little guys had quite the day. In the course of 12 hours, they lost their mother, were saved from danger, and taken two hours to safety. All of that is because of the humanity of an Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper.

Trooper Vanessa Sevilla said, “When you get to the rural areas, you’re dealing with much bigger animals”

Pictures help tell the story. The cubs—so cute, so curious—in the back of a squad of car. Not under arrest, but under security after an arriving trooper picked them up and put them in patrol car so they too wouldn’t be hit.

“They might not make it out there, so he wanted to do his part,” Trooper Sevilla said.

From there, wildlife officers arrived and took these little guys two hours away to the Southern Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale.

Wildlife experts said the cubs will be there a while, likely until this fall.

Again, without their mom, they cannot do anything on their own, including feeding themselves.

Wildlife conservationist James O’Brien said “They need to be challenged. Our bears here are given games to play and puzzles to do.”

It’s a recovery that would not be happening without the kindness of one trooper.

O’Brien said, “They’re only four months old, so they’re pretty helpless right now”

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