BILLINGS, Mont. — Three grizzly bear cubs whose mother killed one person and mauled two others in an attack at a Montana campground were malnourished and still in their winter coats.
The cubs have arrived at their new home at ZooMontana in Billings. Jackie Worstell, zoo executive director, said yesterday the two female cubs and one male cub showed signs of stress that may help explain their mother’s unusually aggressive behavior.
Forty-eight-year-old Kevin Kammer of Grand Rapids, Mich., was killed and two people were seriously injured when the adult bear ripped into several tents Wednesday at the Soda Creek Campground near Cooke City.
The 300- to 400-pound sow was euthanized Friday after DNA tests confirmed that she and her cubs were responsible for the triple mauling.
Worstell said the cubs will remain in quarantine for at least 30 days to ensure they are disease-free.
The Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Department said hair, saliva, and tissue samples tested at a Laramie, Wyo., lab determined the adult bear was the one that rampaged through the Butte campground, which is near Yellowstone National Park.
The Billings zoo has one other grizzly, a year-old male obtained from Yellowstone National Park.
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