3 cubs caught and released in Stateline

Nevada Department of Wildlife Conservation aid Cooper Munson holds two of three black bear cubs captured and released July 16 in Stateline. Photo/NDOW

Three 5-month-old black bears were captured and released July 16 on Kingsbury Grade.

Nevada Department of Wildlife personnel captured the three cubs in a trap, but their mother eluded capture.

The cubs, a female and two males, were tranquilized and processed by a NDOW biologist with the female bear never more than about 40 yards away while the cubs were being examined. The processing includes attachment of identifying ear tags, a tattoo on the bear’s inner lip, the affixing of a microchip and the taking of a sample of hair for DNA purposes. The cubs, weighing from 15 to 22 pounds, were released and reunited with their mother as soon as they awakened.

The female is estimated to be about 19 and has had at least three litters and 10 cubs since she was first captured in 2004 by NDOW.

“Besides tagging the female in 2004, we have now tagged the 10 cubs she has had since. She and her offspring have provided a lot of information to our ongoing research on Nevada’s black bear population,” NDOW black bear biologist Carl Lackey said in a statement.

Since July 1, NDOW has released nine black bears after trapping them.