A mama bear gave birth to two noisy twin cubs under a Lake Tahoe home, video shows.
Screenshot of the Bear League’s video on Facebook
Another black bear family has taken up residence under a Lake Tahoe home, according to video shared by the Bear League.
The nonprofit organization, which is dedicated to protecting Tahoe-area bears, shared footage of mama bear Ursula and her newborn twin cubs, Polaris and Arcturus, via its Facebook page.
The two bear cubs can be seen exploring the crawl space — and making a ton of noise — with their mom in the background.
“Oh, this mama is in for it,” Facebook user Sonja Fabbri wrote in a comment on the Monday, March 9, post. “These babies seem busy and sassy.”
Another Facebook user, Laurie Nesselrode, called the baby bears the “cutest darn sassy little cubs.”
“I think that all homeowners who have bears that cub under floorboards deserve a really good set of noise-cancelling headphones while cubs are present under home,” the Facebook commenter wrote. “These guys are noisy. Cute as all get out, but noisy.”
“I love these bears, but I can’t imagine the rest the humans don’t get,” Facebook user Cheri Weir added, calling them “sassy lil guys.”
“Love these baby bears but they sure are cry babies!” Facebook user Ilene Kellogg said.
See black bear family living under Lake Tahoe cabin
The Bear League previously shared video of black bear Rose and her newborn triplets — Echo, Oakley, and Storm — in their den under a Lake Tahoe cabin in February, The Fresno Bee previously reported.
“We’ll share more footage of them soon,” the nonprofit said in its Monday Facebook post. “Be prepared. They have really grown!”
Like Rose, Ursula found an opening to the crawl space beneath a Lake Tahoe cabin and moved in, according to the Bear League.
“The good folks upstairs from Ursula are super kind and tolerant of the noise and possible damage and they admit to accidentally leaving the crawl space door open,” the Bear League said in Monday’s post. “Once a mama bear gives birth in a crawl space, she can’t legally be evicted because her tiny newborn cubs would perish.”
The Bear League said its CubCam team installed custom-made camera gear under the home to “determine exactly what is going on.”
Several Facebook users thanked the Tahoe homeowners, who named the cubs and their mother after stars and a well-known constellation, for letting the bears stay.
“Hi Ursula and Arcturus and Polaris, welcome to NorCal Life!” Facebook user Jennifer Mckernon wrote in a comment. “You’re gonna love it here.”
When do bears den under Tahoe homes in winter?
According to wildlife experts, mother bears typically seek out shelter at the beginning of the year before giving birth to their cubs.
The Bear League said it gets staff get calls from Tahoe homeowners each year that mama bears have taken up winter residences under their homes, The Sacramento Bee previously reported.
Bear cubs are typically born in January and February, The Bee reported in January 2025.
The bear families emerge from those dens in the springtime “ready to take on the world,” starting with tree-climbing lessons, The Bee reported in April.
The Bear League said it does not “advocate for homeowners to invite bears to den under their homes and cabins.”
“It’s not natural and the bears can often cause a tremendous amount of damage while they are there for several months,” the organization said. “It can also be dangerous for the bears due to electrical wires, gas pipes etc.”
What to do if you see a bear
Bear attacks on people are rare are rare in the United States, according to the National Park Service.
In most encounters between bears and people, the bears are typically trying to defend their food, cubs or space.
There are steps people can take to help prevent a bear encounter from becoming a bear attack.
Identify yourself: Talk calmly and slowly wave your arms. This can help the bear realize you’re a human and nonthreatening.Stay calm: Bears usually don’t want to attack; they want to be left alone. Talk slowly and with a low voice to the bear.Don’t scream: Screaming could trigger an attack.Pick up small children: Don’t let kids run away from the bear. It could think they’re small prey.Hike in groups: A group is noisier and smellier, the National Park Service said. Bears like to keep their distance from groups of people.Make yourself look big: Move to higher ground and stand tall. Don’t make any sudden movements.Don’t drop your bag: A bag on your back can keep a bear from accessing food, and it can provide protection.Walk away slowly: Move sideways so you appear less threatening to the bear. This also lets you keep an eye out.Again, don’t run: Bears will chase you, just like a dog would.Don’t climb trees: Grizzlies and black bears can also climb.
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Brooke (they/them) covers Fresno and California news as the Fresno Bee’s service journalism reporter. They previously covered wildlife and national parks out west for the national real-time team at McClatchy News. Originally from Florida, they studied journalism at the University of Florida and previously covered LGBTQ+ news for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, their hometown newspaper. When they’re not writing stories, they enjoy hanging out with their cats, riding horses or spending time outdoors.