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A California man has pleaded guilty to stealing two four-week-old bear cubs from their mother's den back in 2019 and obstructing police, reports KRCR. The California Department of Fish & Wildlife said the man is from Siskiyou County.
"This is just kind of an awful thing to do really, steal two bear cubs away from a mother bear," said Captain Patrick Foy of CDFW. "With 100% certainty, we can tell you he reached into her den while she was with them and snatched the cubs. It usually takes them a minute while in torpor sleep to realize what's going on. An extra moment and that mother bear would have ripped them apart."
During an investigation, wildlife officers determined Cody Dylon Setzer, 29, and a co-worker at a local timber management company took the cubs from the den inside a tree that had fallen across an access road to a work site in Shasta County. The co-worker took officers to the location of the dens site and further evidence was collected from the den site, which had been destroyed by both men.
The bears, named Yreka and Blaze, were taken to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care where they would spend around a year rehabilitating. The workers taking care of the cubs said that Setzer's story of how they were found felt off, which prompted the CDFW's investigation.
In 2021, Setzer pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited species and obstructing a peace officer in the course of his duties. "The lesson here is, don't touch a bear's den. I thought that was pretty obvious but, don't do it," said Captain Foy.
Officials say to not touch an animal if you find one. Contact CDFW and they will handle it. Moving wildlife could result in a misdemeanor and heavy fine among other charges.