A mother bear and two of her cubs were rescued from a precarious situation in La Verne over the weekend.
The family of bears found themselves stuck in a water cistern on Saturday off the Marshall Canyon Trail, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD). A team of experts was called to the area after people in the area discovered the family stuck.
Officials said the mother bear had three cubs – one that was able to flee to safety on its own before LACoFD arrived, and two that were stuck in the confined space with her.
About 40 firefighters worked to rescue the furry family. After hours of working with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, rescuers cut open the cement lid of the tank. From there, they used rotary saws to cut a hole large enough to place a ladder into the water cistern.
The cubs used the ladder to safely exit the tank “almost immediately,” LACoFD said. After a bit of hesitation from the cubs’ mother, she eventually followed suit and was able to get out.
Authorities said all the bears safely exited the cistern and ran into the wilderness after their unexpected expedition.