Tahoe bear deaths: Mama bear tried to get her dead cub up, drag it off the road, witnesses say

Bear cub Polaris

Moving video shows Polaris interacting with her mother back in March. The cub was killed on a road in the Tahoe Basin on  Aug.19, 2026. Video courtesy: BEAR League

TAHOE CITY, Calif. – Heartwarming and touching video shows a playful two-month-old cub wiggling around in her den before being wrapped in an embrace by her mother. 

That was back in March, on a bear-cam video monitored by Lake Tahoe area non-profit BEAR League.

Last month, the community-based, volunteer-driven group reshared that video as it wrote about the devastating death of the cub in a Facebook post titled “In Memory of Polaris, daughter of Ursula.”

Mama tried to drag her cub off the road 

On Aug. 19, the league was called to Highway 89 (West Lake Boulevard) on Lake Tahoe’s west shore, where a 7-month-old female cub known as Polaris had been struck by a vehicle. 

The events that unfolded were heart-wrenching.    

What they’re saying:

“BEAR League immediately responded and found Ursula and her son, Arcturus, desperately attempting to get Polaris up,” the non-profit wrote. “The cub was no longer alive so Ursula frantically began dragging her body into the direction of the neighborhood.”

It was a painful and difficult scene to watch, and the league said, “This would have upset residents beyond what some could endure.”

League experts intervened and managed to get the mother to back away so they could retrieve the dead cub.   

The league said it then took Polaris “far into the peaceful forest and respectfully returned her to Nature.” 

The events were devastating.  

“It was heartbreaking for all of us—bears and BEAR League people,” the non-profit said. 

6 killed in 2 weeks 

Polaris marked the third cub born this season killed on Tahoe’s roadways. 

“Not a single one of the drivers stopped,” the BEAR League noted. 

And since her death, another bear lost its life. 

As of Thursday, a total of six bears have been killed on local roadways just in the last two weeks, according to the league, which said it has assisted in providing final respects for some of the animals.

Dangerous time of year

Bear experts said it’s a dangerous season, especially for cubs venturing out into the world.

“This is the time of the year when cubs are allowed by their Mothers to be a bit more independent and so they sometimes lag behind after she crosses a road,” BEAR League Executive Director Ann Bryant explained to KTVU in an email correspondence. 

Bryant said the animals are also very active, working almost around the clock foraging for food.  

“The beginning of what is called hyperphagia. They are eating almost 20 hours a day to prepare for the winter den cycle so they are out crossing roads double time,” Bryant noted.

Warning motorists

The recent road killings have prompted the league to launch an awareness campaign to remind drivers to slow down and keep an eye out for these four-legged Tahoe residents.

Roadside signs have been put up that read, “Slow down. A bear cub died here.” 

And using a powerful visual to hammer the message home, a large, smiling stuffed teddy bear was nailed to a tree trunk.  

The group called on motorists to be vigilant and alert while driving through bear country. 

“Motorists should drive a bit slower and be glancing off slightly onto the sides of the road watching for bears and other wildlife who may be planning to cross…. being prepared to slow way down if anybody is sighted,” Bryant urged. 

A beloved bear family

Ursula and her twin cubs were familiar to the league and its followers who, over the winter and spring, watched the family on a camera that was fixed in its den under a Lake Tahoe cabin. 

Timeline:

The BEAR League first introduced Ursula and her babies to us back in early March. 

On April 1, the group predicted that the mother and her cubs would be the first among the bear families it was monitoring, to leave its natal den. 

“They are getting closer each day,” the non-profit noted, also bringing attention to the intrepid nature of the female cub.

SEE ALSO: Bear safety this summer

Curious and brave

“BEAR League camera crew is a bit worried that Polaris is too curious and brave for her own good. She investigates everything while Arcturus stays close to Mama,” the group observed. Hopefully once they are out in the big world Ursula will hold her back a bit.” 

On April 7, the league shared about the expected departure of the trio from their camera-monitored den.  

“BEAR League CubCam Team get very attached to the families we follow each winter with den cameras,” the group wrote. “But we know in every case, the day will quickly arrive when mom decides it’s time to head out into the big world outside the den.”

That moment came quickly and without much fanfare. Late one night, Ursula was seen giving her cubs their first climbing lessons. The following day, she came out with her babies, fed them and then called on them to follow her.

“She told the kids it was time to go. Just that simple,” the league wrote. “It’s a cycle that has repeated for thousands of years, long before humans built homes in the forest where the bears live. We wish Ursula, Polaris and Arcturus the best out in the scary human world that they inhabit.”

Living in harmony

In a scary human world, where danger abounds for these creatures, the league urged residents and visitors to do their part, live in harmony with Tahoe’s bears and help keep the native animals, a majestic symbol of the region, alive and safe.  

“BEAR League members and most other residents are horrified by these deaths,” the non-profit said. “Once again we ask drivers to slow down and be aware of wildlife crossing the roadways.”