Two small black bear cubs were separated from their mother in the US after being chased by people who wanted to take photos.
The cubs were with their mother in the city of Harlowton, Montana when a car full of people stopped to take pictures.
When the bears tried to run away, people chased them and caused the cubs to become separated from their mother.
Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP) warden Nick Taylor said "Later the sow and cubs were seen in different parts of Harlowton, Taylor said. But enough people interfered with the animals to keep them from reconnecting. Eventually the mother left and FWP was not able to find her."
FWP staff tranquilized the cubs and held them for a day while they tried to find their mother, but they failed to see any sign of her.
The cubs have now been taken to the Wildlife Center of Montana, as animal welfare workers were reluctant to leave the cubs without their mother during the fall bear hunting season.
Wildlife center manager Lisa Rhodin said they'll be cared for through the winter and will be released next spring in an area "away from people in south central Montana, where they can be successful, wild black bears".
Mr Taylor encouraged people to keep away from wildlife for their own safety and for the good of the animals.
"The cubs and their mother were separated and they could not be reunited as a direct result of human interference," he said.
Newshub.
