A mama bear and her cub were rescued late Saturday, Aug. 29, from a large cistern in La Verne, where they had climbed in through a vent hole and became trapped.
Los Angeles County and La Verne fighters worked with California Fish and Wildlife wardens to free the bear family from the large water tank belonging to the La Verne Fire Department, near Claremont Wilderness Park’s 5-Mile Loop Trail.
Authorities were called about 12 p.m. by people who heard howling from the tank and went to investigate, according to a news release by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Initially, a mother bear and two cubs were reported trapped, but one of the cubs managed to get out and was in a nearby tree when rescuers arrived, officials said.
County firefighters cut a hole through the top of the tank and lowered a ladder for the two remaining bears to climb out, officials said. All three bears are now safe and left the area on their own after being freed.
It is unclear how long the bears were in the tank. No further information was available late Saturday.
The water in the tank was drained during the rescue operation by the La Verne Fire Department, which is securing the cistern so that no other animals become trapped.
(City News Service contributed to this report.)