Pagosa Springs, United States - November 20, 2024 In a heartwarming success story, five orphaned bear cubs were released back into the wild near Pagosa Springs after spending the summer at Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Frisco Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Del Norte. The cubs, three of which were rescued in mid-July near Durango, were rehabilitated under the expert care of Frisco Creek manager Michael Sirochman. The facility houses orphaned cubs from all across the state, focusing on keeping them wild by minimizing human interaction. The cubs were fed a diet of natural foods like berries and fish, as well as supplemental foods donated by the Durango Good Food Collective. Once the cubs reached the necessary weight and began instinctively preparing for denning, they were ready to return to the wild. The release locations were carefully selected to ensure the bears would have a successful transition back into their natural environment. Frisco Creek's efforts are crucial in preventing these cubs from becoming "conflict bears" or roadkill, and GPS data from previous releases shows they successfully create dens within days of being released. A special thanks to Sirochman and his family for their dedicated care of these young bears.