It's that time of year when all the tiny bear cubs start to make their way into the world.Â
According to the BEAR League in an online post, they say most bear cubs generally make their way into the world starting the second week of January through the middle of February.
They say that each year around this time they start getting calls from Tahoe residents about something or someone crying from under their homes.
Upon investigation, they usually find that a bear has given birth to a cub or cubs.
Their most recent find was a mama bear named 'Sugar Bear' and her two-and-a-half-week-old cub, named 'Snowflake.'.Â
They say it is not acceptable to move the bear families in this case, so after explaining the situation to the homeowner, experts set up a specially designed and non-invasive camera to keep an eye on the resident's furry under-house guests while the mama tenderly cared for her precious baby and prepared for their emergence into the world in April.
BEAR League says once the resident heard he had a mama and baby bear under his house, he officially began referring to himself as 'Grandpa Bear.'
They say that although this is common at Lake Tahoe, the BEAR League does its best to encourage residents to bear-proof their crawl space before the bears can enter and claim it as their den.
BEAR League says they currently have three homes in the Tahoe Basin with newborn cubs, who a team of BEAR League volunteers takes turns watching the cameras 24 hours a day, seven days a week.Â
None of the residents or the BEAR League knew of any of these bears being under any of these homes until after their cubs were born.
The BEAR League says if they get a call by mid-January about a possible pregnant bear, they look at all the important details before deciding with the homeowner whether or not to leave the mother or move her to a better location.
They say it is okay and often best to move them to a more appropriate location if the yard outside their den is not going to be safe for the young and vulnerable cubs to come out into—such as a busy road nearby, no trees right there to teach the cubs to climb on, unleashed dogs in the neighborhood, neighbors too close who aren't comfortable with this situation, etc.
In their online post, BEAR League shares many posts on their bears and cubs. 2 News Nevada thought we would share a quick peek of Sugar Bear and Snowflake.
You can watch their latest video below:
(The BEAR League contributed to this story.)
