SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care recently received three bear cubs that were transferred to from Gold County Wildlife Rescue.

The three bears, Bodie, Thelma and Louise, are joining Ponderosa at the newly renovated bear enclosure at LTWC. However, the three new bears will be held in a separate room from Ponderosa.

“Bear cubs are typically born in January or February, so all four bears are approximately the same age, but are not the same size due to their individual circumstances,” said Greg Erfani, media liaison for LTWC.

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According to Erfani, Bodie was found on a military base in Mono County, going through trash dumpsters.

“It took about a week to catch him,” Erfani said. “It’s believed his mother was hit by a car on Highway 395. Thelma and Louise, are the bear cubs who’s mother was hit by a car on Highway 50 near the middle school.”

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All three bears are about 75 pounds, however, since they didn’t need to be sedated during transfer, LTWC doesn’t have an exact weight.

“At this time, all signs indicate that these are healthy bears and will be released into the wild when the time is right,” Erfani said. “LTWC will watch the three larger bears to see if they demonstrate an inclination to hibernate and will react accordingly.”

The Ponderosa bear is only about 25 pounds, so Erfani said he will be fed through the winter to get his weight up so he can catch up to the larger bears, developmentally.

“The bears eat about $50 a day of food, which includes vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts and fish. We try our best to mimic what they find in nature,” Erfani said

For more information, visit LTWC.org.

To watch the bears’ progress, along with the other animals at LTWC, visit their Instagram @lake.tahoe.wildlife.care.

Laney Griffo is a staff writer with the Tahoe Daily Tribune, a sister publication of the Sierra Sun