Mama Bear, Cub Spend Winter Under CA Home: Report

LAKE TAHOE, CA — A mama bear and her cub decided to make the underside of a Tahoe house their home this winter. And luckily for the small family, the homeowners welcomed them and even allowed a nonprofit to place a webcam beneath their home, according to multiple reports.

BEAR League, a nonprofit based near Lake Tahoe that advocates for people and bears to live in harmony, recently came into contact with the homeowner, who noticed that the bear had moved into the home's crawl space, the nonprofit told Fox40.

The North Shore area homeowner, who wished to remain anonymous, allowed the nonprofit to install a webcam beneath the house. The footage provided a rare learning opportunity, offering insight into how mother bears—traditionally believed to hibernate through most of the winter—care for their young.

WATCH FROM FOX40: Mama bear and cub find refuge underneath a Tahoe home

"People used to think when a mama bear wakes up in the spring and she looks around and goes 'ah where'd you come from? What? I've got three kids, where'd you come from? That's not what happens," Ann Bryant, executive director of the nonprofit told Fox40.

The footage, shared by Fox40 and other news outlets, shows the mama bear waking up frequently to care for her cub.

"She is very well aware as it's happening and she's completely invested in taking care of every moment of their life and she is an exceptional mom. She loves to hold her baby and pet him and tap him like a mom! Like a person-mom can do."

BEAR League has named the bears Snowflake and Sugar Bear, according to Good Day Sacramento.

Bears crawling beneath homes to give birth isn't exactly uncommon. According to Bryant, what alerts most homeowners is the baby crying — a sound that is remarkable close to the sound of a human baby's cry.

Bryant told Good Day Sacramento that the nonprofit educates homeowners on coexisting with bears and their cubs beneath homes in the Lake Tahoe area. She says it is too late to relocate them by the time they give birth.

"If you try to move the bears out by then, they'll die," she told the show hosts.

The nonprofit provides a 24-hour hotline for people experiencing a "bear emergency." Its website also offers a wealth of tips for coexisting with bears and, in certain circumstances, dispatches volunteers to assist in person.

"It is our goal to educate people about the true nature of these animals and the tools that can be used to coexist with them," according to the BEAR League's website.

Find more information about the BEAR League here.