Cody Dylon Setzer (29) admitted to taking a pair of month-old bear cubs from their den in Northern California. He tried to raise the cubs on his own, but called authorities when he realized the cubs weren't thriving.
From the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:
During the investigation, wildlife officers determined Setzer and a co-worker at a local timber management company took the cubs from a den inside a tree that had fallen across an access road to a work site. The co-worker took officers to the location of the den site east of Salt Creek and Interstate 5. Further evidence was collected from the den site, which had been destroyed by both men. The sow was never located.
The cubs were turned over to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) for long-term rehabilitation. LTWC said the cubs were the youngest ever brought into its facility. After growing old enough to survive on their own, the cubs were returned to their native habitat in Shasta County on April 28, 2020.
