Orphaned grizzly bear cubs find home in Arizona

MISSOULA, Mont. — UPDATE: The following was posted to the Bearizona Facebook page on Wednesday: Since being captured in Montana 2 months ago, these 3 Grizzlies have been stuck in kennels waiting for a new home. This is what rescue animals getting out of cages looks like at Bearizona.

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A Montana ranch family helped rescue a trio of grizzly bear cubs that were orphaned after their mother bit a man during a surprise encounter.

The man, who was hiking just south of Glacier National Park last week, shot the sow. State wildlife wardens later euthanized the bear. Last Friday,

Mike and Kadee Briggs spotted three cubs playing in a field near the road.

The cubs were captured and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation shelter in Helena.

State officials are working with federal wildlife officials to find an accredited facility to take the bears because they will be used to people and cannot be released back into the wild.

Here is their story:

On Wednesday night, we were driving home from work and happened to see a hiker out in the open not far from the Dupuyer dump. Read the story here. The following morning, we found out that he was attacked by a mamma Grizzly Bear. He shot her to defend himself, and the FWP were able to euthanize her the following morning. However, they were unable to locate the cubs they knew she had.

Friday evening we left the ranch to get a few groceries for Easter and pick up dinner to go from Buffalo Joe's. As we headed back home, we found these three bear cubs along the road, scared and looking for a food source. Knowing that it was about to storm, and the chances of finding them again were slim, we called Fish and Game to notify them of there location. While we waited for the Fish and Game to get back to us, the cubs started to head back up the hillside, and we feared they might disappear again . So our family got around them and hazed them back towards the road. During which time we took a call back from FWP and decided that we needed to contain the cubs. Another area family that was driving by, jumped into action and were able to find us a large plastic barrel to safely put them in.

We were fortunate enough to get them safely gathered and put the barrel in our truck, where we could to take them to our ranch shop and transfer them to the Bear Specialist. He had us get them some milk and hay for a soft, warmer bed. At that point we wished them farewell.

We were told they would be taken to Helena to the rehabilitation facility. We live in an area with bears. We understand that at any point while we are out working we could startle a sow and her cubs and it could be the same result as the hiker had and needing to make the split second decisions to defend ourselves. That being said, we also couldn't sit by and not help the bear cubs have a fighting chance at life, whatever that might be.