SALT LAKE CITY -- Seven bear cubs are back in the wild after being rehabilitated by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
A set of twins were released earlier this fall, and five other cubs were released this week.
The bears have spent the summer at a facility in Millville near Logan, where they’ve been gaining weight in time for hibernation.
The DWR says it’s important they are ready to go into hibernation when they are released.
"It's critical for those cubs to have a lot of weight on them when we release them in the fall, or release them in a time of year where there isn't a whole lot of [food] out there," said Darren Debloois, a game mammals coordinator for Utah DWR.
The cubs were released across the state in places where they're least likely to interact with people or livestock.
The females were fitted with GPS collars so the DWR can monitor their health and behaviors.
