Mama Bear and Cub Triplets Spotted at Elm Creek Park Reserve

Visitors of Elm Creek Park Reserve may have spotted something visually striking this week: a mama bear and her three newborn triplets.

Three Rivers Park District officials got a report that the bear had triplets on Monday.

“We’re really excited to have them in the park and to have them be residents in the park,” said John Moriarty, senior wildlife manager with the Three Rivers Park District.

Moriarty says this bear has made the Elm Creek Park Reserve part of its home range since the summer of 2020. He also emphasizes that bears will not go after people unless something is done to incite them.

“Bears are not dangerous to people unless you put yourself in a situation where they could be,” said Moriarty.

“If you see the bears in the park you don’t want to get between the mom and the cubs. It’s not a good thing to do. And if you’re in the park walking your dog, you want to make sure your dog is on a leash because most negative human-bear interactions have a dog in the middle of it,” he said.

Moriarty says the same bear had two cubs in the spring of 2021. He says the papa may have startled residents.

“The male we think is the one that wandered through the metro down toward the river and got picked up on everybody’s Ring doorbells,” he said.

For residents who live near the park reserve, Moriarty suggests removing bird feeders to avoid bears showing up in your yards. He also recommends securing garbage cans and storing away your grill or keeping it really clean because bears will smell that food scent.

“Bears can smell that nice, stale steak grease from miles away,” said Moriarty.

Moriarty says chances of spotting the bears are slim at Elm Creek Park Reserve since it’s 5,000 acres with much of the land undeveloped.

Also See: Black Bear Sighted in Maple Grove, DNR Says Put Away Bird Feeders and Trash Cans

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