Cubs rescued from dumpster as mamma bear calmly looks on

Two bear cubs that somehow managed to get stuck in a recycling facility dumpsterhad to be rescued by conservation officers in Sooke, B.C., on Monday.

It's not clear how the cubs climbed up and into the dumpster but once in they couldn't get out.

Sgt. Scott Norris with the B.C. Conservation Service says the mother bear watched calmly from a distance when help arrived.

"When we showed up, we pulled into the yard and there was mom sitting at the back of the yard, sort of 50 yards away just watching," he said.

The cubs were safely tranquilized, had their ears tagged and were pulled out of the dumpster.

They were then returned to their mother at a neighbouring property.

The dumpster didn't have any food waste in it, butDebbie Reid with Wild Wise Sooke says the bear cubs'rescue is a good reminder to secure all garbage bins.

"What triggers bears to sleep is the fact there is no food ... but in Sooke we have people leaving out garbage and pet food and things like that," she said.

"So the natural trigger isn't being triggered."

The conservation service says bears on Vancouver Island usually don't go into hibernation until January.