A bear was killed and her three cubs were taken to a conservation center after a car crash Monday morning, officials say.
The one-car crash happened on SR-77 at Dudleyville, about an hour and a half north of Tucson, shortly after 4 a.m. Monday, according to Trooper Vanessa Sevilla with the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Department of Public Safety.
The bear was in the roadway when hit by the car, Sevilla said. The driver was not injured.
When DPS troopers arrived to the scene, the bear was dead.
Two cubs were still in the roadway, according to Game and Fish spokesman Mark Hart. Troopers were able to capture both of them.
A third cub wandered out of the roadway but was also captured, Hart says. It's unclear if a trooper or a passerby caught the third cub.
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One person was scratched by a cub, but was treated and is OK, Hart says.
Troopers called the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Game and Fish Department and the three cubs were taken to the Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center in Scottsdale.Â
Hart says the cubs are in good health. Officials are hoping to eventually release the cubs back into the wild.Â
Bear cubs orphaned early today in a rare auto-on-bear accident no. of Winkleman on SR 77. En route to Scottsdale sanctuary in good health. One first responder scratched, treated and OK. Be bear aware out there.
— AZ Game & Fish Dept (@azgfdTucson)
This morning, troopers from District 6, Oracle, responded to a crash involving a bear on SR-77 at Dudleyville. The bear was deceased. With help, the trooper was able to capture the bear’s 3 cubs and turned them over .
— Dept. Public Safety (@ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥_DPS)
Contact reporter Gloria Knott at gknott@tucson.com or 573-4235. On Twitter: @gloriaeknott
Gloria Knott
#ThisIsTucson Editor
