06-05-2025
Baby bears are ‘ready to take on the world.' See them leave dens under CA homes
National Baby bears are 'ready to take on the world.' See them leave dens under CA homes
Mama bears and their babies are leaving their dens under homes in California, videos show.
Screenshot of BEAR League's video on Facebook
Mama and baby bears are emerging from their winter nurseries beneath California homes and are 'ready to take on the world' — starting with tree climbing lessons, videos show.
Four mother bears nestled into spaces under Tahoe homes over the winter to give birth to their babies and shelter them until springtime, McClatchy News previously reported.
The BEAR League, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting bears in the area, set up cameras in the nurseries to monitor the three families, McClatchy News reported.
And on Friday, April 11, a mother and baby duo known as Sugar Bear and Snowflake — the first bear family the group showcased from its bear monitoring project — ventured out of their den for good, the BEAR League said in an April 12 post on Facebook.
'Last evening, at about 9pm, Sugar Bear and Snowflake walked off into the darkness of the night together,' the organization said the post. 'They left the natal den where Snowflake was born in mid-January. They will not return.'
The family first ventured outside the den in early April, and the growing little cub was raring to go, the organization said.
'Snowflake was wound up and ready to 'take on the world,'' the group said. 'Sugar Bear would have preferred a few more days to work on his climbing skills and sneak in a few more comfortable naps but, she's never been one to say No to her beautiful boy.'
A video shows their last playful moments in the den together.
'This video is of BEAR League's (and you, our follower's) last 15 minutes with these two beloved and precious souls,' the group said. 'Please enjoy the footage of their final moments with us. And then the touching recap of the past two and a half months — as Sugar Bear prepared Snowflake for this enormous, exciting, but extremely dangerous next chapter in the life of two of Tahoe's amazingly wonderful bears.'
Days earlier, two more of the bear families left their winter homes, the group said in a post on April 9. The families were finally ready after several weeks of 'tree climbing school,' the group said.
Sugar Bear and Snowflake's first order of business appeared to be more tree climbing lessons to brush up on the little cub's skills for life in the wilderness, the video shows.
The league also shared video from the bear family that has remained inside its den for the time being, except for its own tree-climbing lessons.
'While we're still wiping the tears away after watching Snowflake and Sugar Bear head off into the Big World; Ruthie, Mocha and Espresso are extending our BEAR League CubCam 25 project a few more days, thankfully,' the group said in a video posted to Facebook on April 13. '(These three are seriously helping ease the pain of withdrawal.)'
The video shows mama bear Ruthie supervising her two cubs Mocha and Espresso as they climb over a log and try to scramble up the slick bark of a tiny aspen tree.
'The cubs have been getting a lot more comfortable outside the den, and Ruthie seems content to let them teach themselves how to climb,' the group said.
Several people shared their thoughts about Snowflake and Sugar Bear leaving their den and venturing out into the world for good.
One person said they were at a loss for words.
'It's been amazing to see snowflake growing in the last few months and to see him and his mum finally leaving the den is bittersweet,' they said. 'Glad that they have had the protection through the last few months but will miss watching them. … Let's hope they have a wonderful life in the great outdoors.'
Another person said it was privilege to watch the family during the cubs' first stage of life, and several people shared that they would miss being able to regularly check in on the bears.
'I'll miss seeing this little cutie pie,' another person said.
Brooke Baitinger
McClatchy DC Go to X Email this person
Brooke (she/them) is a McClatchy Real-Time reporter who covers LGBTQ+ entertainment news and national parks out west. They studied journalism at the University of Florida, and previously covered LGBTQ+ news for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. When they're not writing stories, they enjoy hanging out with their cats, riding horses or spending time outdoors.
