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A mama bear reportedly died from injuries sustained while being removed from a tree at a golf course by New Mexico wildlife officials
Her two cubs will be relocated to a suitable habitat away from populated areas, wildlife officials said
Wildlife officials also noted that drought conditions have driven more bears toward neighborhoods searching for food and water
A mama bear that was found with her cubs on a golf course died during capture.
The Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) shared in a Facebook post on Monday, Oct. 19, that it was called in to help the New Mexico Department of Wildlife (NMDOW) remove a mother bear and two cubs from a tree.
AFR said NMDOW “sedated and trapped” the mama bear, and an AFR crew “assisted” in getting the bear into a “cage.”
The agency noted that “several options were discussed on how to get the cubs out of the tree,” and “getting an aerial apparatus into position to access the cubs would have been challenging.”
Officials eventually determined that the “safest course of action” was for the NMDOW to set a trap for the cubs. AFR said its crews were cleared from the scene as the NMDOW prepared to set traps for the two bears in the tree.
NMDOW spokesperson Darren Vaughan later confirmed to the Albuquerque Journal that the mother bear died from injuries she sustained while being “sedated and trapped.”
“Wildlife rescue situations can be unpredictable, and despite using the safest methods available, there are inherent risks,” he told the outlet. However, it remains unclear how the bear was injured.
As for the two cubs also found in the tree on the golf course, Vaughan said officials will relocate the animals to a “suitable bear habitat away from populated areas.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the NMDOW for comment.
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According to the Albuquerque Journal, ongoing drought conditions have prompted bears to venture closer to residential areas in search of food and water. The NMDOW urged residents to remove potential attractants around their homes to help prevent encounters with bears.
“The Department’s priority is to keep bears alive and prevent them from becoming habituated to people,” Vaughan said. “The best way to accomplish this goal is to eliminate food and water sources around homes.”
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