Three Bears and a Cub in One Day (Raw Cut Version)

EDGEWOOD, N.M. (KRQE) - It's too late to reunite a mother bear and its cub rescued from a tree, New Mexico Game and Fish officials said Friday.

"There's a certain time period you can actually put the mom back with the cub," said Game and Fish Officer John Martsh. "If you go past that time period the mom could attack the cub and kill it."

Martsh said that time period is about six hours.

Officials said the last sighting of the mother and its baby was Friday morning around six as people waking up in Edgewood caught the pair roaming around town.

By the time Game and Fish arrived about four hours later they'd been separated.

"It's about a fifteen pound black bear and I'd say no more than three months old," said Martsh.

A large group had gathered and watched in awe as rescuers darted the bear once with tranquilizer. Minutes later it showed signs of drowsiness then struggled to cling onto a branch by dangling with one arm before it finally fell.

"I mean we just showed up because of the helicopters and there he was up in the tree," said Edgewood resident Dave Harder.

There were cheers after the cub's rescue, but it's unlikely the baby bear will be reunited with its mother.

"If we get mom after that we probably won't be put them back together," Martsh said.

Officials said because the bear is so young they'll take care of her until next spring when they finally release her into the wild.

She wasn't the only bear captured on Friday

In fact, three more were found looking for food in Cedar Crest, Sedillo Hill and Veguita, which is the most bears caught in one day, in years.

Bear sightings have recently become a common occurrence.

On Thursday, an adult male bear was found rummaging through the trash at a home in Cedar Crest. Another bear was discovered attacking a llama in Placitas. In both instances, they were shot and killed by homeowners.

The third caught on Thursday was found in a bear trap in Cedar Crest. He died shortly later.

Officials said bears are coming into town to look for food because the dry summer has delayed the acorn bloom, which is what bears usually begin eating by June.

If the mother of the cub rescued on Friday is found near Edgewood where she was separated from her baby then she'll be released into the wild.

"Pretty exciting for a little town of Edgewood; it was pretty neat," Harder said.

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Education

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• New Mexico Wildlife
• bear cub rescue in Edgewood

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Game and Fish Officer John Martsh is very wrong about reuniting sow and cub.Please update your opinion after reading about and viewing video of the reunion between a Minnesota black bear and her cub. First reunion was after 5 days lost in a rain storm. Cub was lost again and after 2 long months they reunited, and denned together over winter. Momma gave birth in den and the mixed age litter were together with momma til a hunter ended the life of Hope the yearling.