BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Two young Montana bears separated from their mother by eager photographers are back in the wild.
Game wardens and a wildlife biologist released the yearling cubs in south-central Montana earlier this week. They were last spotted climbing into a big pine tree.
In September, the cubs and their mother were near the town of Harlowton when people stopped to take photos. At some point, people chased the bears and got between the mother and her still-nursing cubs. The cubs ran east but the mother ran west to avoid the people.
Wildlife officials captured the two cubs and held them for a day to try to find the mother, but she had left the area. They were raised in captivity over the winter.