Baby Bears Captured in Bremerton, but Mama Remains on the Loose

Where's Mama Bear?

Wildlife officers searched Friday for a mother ...


Two of three black bears wandering the past several days around Bremerton’s residential areas were captured Thursday night.

Caught about 9:10 p.m. were two cubs, said Sgt. Ted Jackson of the state Deparment of Fish and Wildlife. They were captured off Werner Road in the West Hills neighborhood, near Westside Baptist Church.

Still on the loose, however, is the cubs’ mother.

Residents are urged to remove all food sources outside their homes. Garbage cans should be placed inside garages, bird feeders should be taken down and pet food should be removed indoors.

Anyone who sees a bear should call 911.


  • Discuss
  • Print

Comments » 16

bakerbetty (Inactive) writes:

I spotted a bear (saw leaves moving behind it which was possibly a cub, couldn't tell) a few hours before they caught the babies, it wasn't the Mama though. I'm on the East Side and I think people would have noticed a bear crossing the bridge (assuming it would indeed take the bridge.) I hope they find the mama, I imagine those cubs might still be nursing.

bubbles733 writes:

i hope they all end up together safe.

Talkback writes:

Ahhhh Poor mama, she's probably worried sick. I hope they all end up together in the end.

dubs writes:

Bakerbetty, a bear can get from the Eastside to the westside without being noticed very easily. A few years ago there was a bear up on Gregory and it was determined the bear probably came from the eastside...they can swim ya know.

ronebevaku#251092 writes:

I was there and saw the baby bears in the cages with the mama bear right there with them walking around the cages. All three bears were pretty upset. They could have gotten the mama bear also and safely moved them all together to a remote location, except they said they don't tranquilize bears anymore. I was wondering why there were not three traps put together there when there was an actual sighting of three bears. So now we can only hope they can catch the mama bear and relocate all of them together.

madoak writes:

If the cubs are almost yearlings I doubt they are nursing much, but they do need Mama for at least another year. If this was their second summer they could make it on their own.

BlessedX3 writes:

That is sad. I agree with ronebevaku, I don't know why they didn't set more than one trap in the same location. I'm sure they had hoped maybe mamma bear would have been the first to be trapped and that the cubs would stay close to her, but now these cubs are without their mother. My son actually saw the mother and her cubs yesterday afetrnoon down at the creek below my house. I hope they catch the mother bear who is probably distraught without her cubs, and can reunite them all and relocate them together.

mensapink (Inactive) writes:

Can you imagine being separated from your children?...I hope they get momma bear too so the cubs won't have to be alone.

BryGrim writes:

An update:

I spoke with Sgt. Ted Jackson this morning and he said they didn't dart the mother when she was around the traps because it was dark and they didn't want to run the risk of losing her when she ran away after being tranquilized.

Bears don't just fall to the ground once hit, they run off, he said. Had she run into the woods, they would have had to run after her, which could have been difficult for them to find her in the dark. Once they dart an animal, they're responsible for that animal, Jackson said.

They released the cubs about 2:30 a.m. in west Mason County and immediately went back to set another trap at Werner and Eden. Jackson said the mom was sniffing around the trap, so he is hopeful they'll catch her tonight, and be able to release her where they left her cubs.

-- Brynn
Kitsap Sun

BryGrim writes:

I forgot, they did set two traps out there originally to try and capture the sow and her cubs, but they only have one trap there now. Jackson said the likelihood of catching three bears in three traps is pretty slim.

They needed one of the two traps from West Hills for three bears they are now trying to catch on the Key Peninsula.

-- Brynn
Kitsap Sun

cmab0515 writes:

Why would they release cubs without their mama! that is so cruel. I really hope that mama can find her babies as they are now in an unfamilar location with out the one thing they have depended on their entire lives. All babies, human and animal, need thier mamas!
I am looking forward to hearing they are reunited.

Good4U writes:

Are these Fish and Wildlife folks for real? They captured two defenseless Baby Bears and dumped them in a remote area where they are subject to being killed by cougar or rogue male bear, slowly starve to death because they are still nursing and do not know how to hunt and/or fall prey to some other tragedy. To top that off, they have now created a situation where Momma Bear is highly distraught and agitated from losing her cubs, making her very dangerous. I hope they get their dumb asses out there, capture her and reunite her with her cubs ASAP. We need to make these clowns accountable for their inane actions. Is there no end to the incompetence?

BlessedX3 writes:

I'm guessing the cubs must have been old enough to fend for themselves (I HOPE), given they have already been released. Hopefully, they will be able to be reunited with mamma.

Delmont writes:

I would think that the Dept of Fish/Game thought about the cubs age and doubt they would have released nursing cubs in a strange area.
Hopefully though they can catch mom and take her to the area where her cubs were released and the story will have a happy ending.

KJVof1611 writes:

They are planning on releasing mama where the cubs are. The cubs are not that young, they're just slightly smaller than mama, so they should be fine and most likely will be reunited with mama.

Two cubs were trapped on the church property, and Mama bear was roaming around the traps. It was an exciting sight to see the three bears. Mama certainly had not lost her motherly affection for her cubs, today she was roaming around our house looking for her cubs. We saw her through our windows. Sadly, this kind of natural affection for young ones is lost in today's world. The Bible says in I Timothy 3 that in the last days perilous times shall come, and that mankind would be without natural affection. Today, many have no problem with killing their child in the womb, parents often treat their children as a curse that they want to prevent from having in their life rather than gladly accepting them as a blessing, mom will leave the children for someone else to raise them while she pursues her own career (when its not needed, simply to have more "stuff"), and men will play video games or other hobbies excessively as they neglect their family. I hope to see a reformation of families as they love Christ and have a natural affection for their family. This mama bear was a reminder of God's beautiful creation and natural affection, which we should have for our family.

calkid writes:

KJV, might be the wrong forum. This is about a Mama bear and her cubs, not a place to share your religious beliefs.
