Cheyenne Mountain Zoo takes in orphaned grizzly bear cubs

State of play: The zoo's animal care team is keeping the cubs out of public view while they receive veterinary care and adjust to their new surroundings. The bears — who are not native to Colorado — are eating well and increasingly comfortable each day, zoo staff said.

The backstory: Montana wildlife officials relocated the cubs after their mother was euthanized following repeated conflicts with people, as well as livestock attacks.

• Young grizzlies typically depend on their mothers for at least another year, making release back into the wild unlikely.
• The bears weighed roughly 30 pounds each when they reached Colorado Springs after a 10-hour trip.

The cubs will not share space with the zoo's 21-year-old grizzlies, Emmett and Digger, but will meet them through fences.

What they're saying: Rebecca Zwicker, an animal care manager at the zoo, called the pair's arrival "bittersweet," saying the zoo wants to give the cubs a strong future while recognizing that "wildlife [should] be wild."