COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Two orphaned grizzly bear cubs are settling into their new home at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo after their mother, who had a long history of conflicts with people, was euthanized in Montana.
Rebecca Zwicker, animal care manager for the zoo's Rocky Mountain Wild exhibit, explained that the cubs' arrival was bittersweet.
"Although we have high hopes that we can give these young cubs a great life here, we ultimately want wildlife to be wild,” she said. “The folks who work at these wildlife agencies are heroes in my opinion. They want the same thing – for wildlife to live safely in the wild.”
The grizzlies' mother was euthanized due to multiple conflicts with people and attractants, including preying on livestock in Montana. Zwicker stressed the importance of never feeding wildlife or following them to take a photo, as this can make the animal more comfortable around people. And if that animal is an apex predator that can sense an easy meal, wildlife agencies ultimately must protect the people involved, she said.
"I hope these cubs bring our community a lot of joy, and serve as a reminder that the best thing we can do for wildlife is to let them be wild, heed the advice of organizations that work to protect them in the wild, and watch from a safe distance," she said.
Information was not available about any other possible conflicts between the mother grizzly and humans beyond livestock depredations. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has a grizzly bear conflict dashboard on its website here.
The two cubs, which are about 6 months old, arrived at the zoo following a 10-hour drive from Montana on June 7. They weighed about 30 pounds each at that time and have white fur rings around their neck — a signature for grizzly cubs. The zoo said the siblings have "some of the fluffiest ears on record" and are very curious.
They are the youngest grizzlies that the zoo has cared for in decades and the first orphaned grizzlies to arrive in more than 20 years, the zoo reported. Staff worked with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to transfer the cubs to Colorado.
"The cubs have been acclimating to life in human care behind the scenes, with their care team monitoring their behaviors and health," the zoo said. "Since arriving, the cubs are growing quickly, eating, drinking, playing, and settling in well."
Unlike their wild counterparts, this young duo needs to be comfortable around people, Zwicker said.
"They’re learning to take food from us, which is an important foundational relationship builder," she explained. "Once they know when we show up, good things will follow, we can work on cooperative behaviors that allow us to take care of them from the other side of a fence.”
While they acclimate to the zoo, they will remain out of view of guests. They do not yet have names.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is already home to two adult grizzly bears: Emmett and Digger, both 21 years old. They came to the zoo in 2007 as yearlings after too many conflicts with humans.
"Since then, they have helped CMZoo members and guests learn how to be bear-aware in wild places," the zoo said. "These two cubbies will have the same job. Emmett and Digger have thrived in CMZoo’s care, and the Zoo is optimistic about the future of these little ones, too. Still, young animals from the wild can be fragile, so the Zoo is taking every step possible to help them succeed in human care."
Emmett and Digger will not share the same space as the cubs, but if zookeepers believe it is safe, they may meet through a fence sometime in the future. The zoo renovated its grizzly bear habitat in 2024 so it could safely house two sets of bears.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has several other orphaned animals, such as Atka the moose, mountain lions Adria and Koda, and Ouray the bald eagle.
Grizzly bears were fairly common in Colorado on the western side of the state until the turn of the 19th and 20th century, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Their numbers quickly declined after 1900 and the last known grizzly was killed in 1979 in the San Juan Mountains. Colorado is home to black bears across both urban and wild spaces.
