Fish and Wildlife officials to secure cistern after Saturday rescue
A mother bear and three cubs trapped in a concrete cistern at Marshall Canyon Regional Park in La Verne were rescued late Saturday night, after a group of trail runners heard “howling, whimpering” sounds and followed them to the water-filled tank.
One of the runners, Jamie Kirk, told The Los Angeles Times how the group located the animals. “We heard this howling, whimpering noise and couldn’t figure out where it was coming from,” Kirk said. After following the sounds, he described what they found at the opening of the tank: “And as soon as we look in the hole, there’s the mama bear staring at us,” Kirk said. “It was full of water, so she had to basically stand up and lean on the wall to stay out of the water.”
The Los Angeles County Fire Department and California Department of Fish and Wildlife responded to the park. Crews drained the cistern to prevent the bears from drowning.
Once the water level dropped, one of the cubs was able to climb out of the tank on its own. Crews then enlarged the opening at the top of the cistern and lowered a ladder, allowing the mother bear and the remaining two cubs to exit.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said the cistern is being secured to prevent future wildlife incidents.