LAKE TAHOE (CBS SF) — Bear cubs who suffered severe injuries, most likely at the hands of humans, were released back into the wild recently after undergoing months of intense recovery at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.

Two cubs were found in July with major dental and gum problems in the Paradise area just east of Chico. The third cub was found weeks later in the same area, also with some teeth missing. Their mother was spotted dead nearby.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care founder Cheryl Millham described the gruesome discovery. “It looked like someone hit them in the mouth with a baseball bat or a rifle,” she said. “They were completely toothless.”

Their veterinarian performed oral surgery on the cubs, who weighed about 20 pounds at the time. After several months of antibiotics and pain killers, the cubs’ gums had healed and their teeth had grown back, allowing them to eat normally.

Millham, who’s been working in this field for 37 years, explained the Paradise area is notorious for illegal pot farm operations. The people who run them often see bears roaming in the area as a threat to their harvest.

After four months in recovery, the Department of Fish and Wildlife released the three cubs back in the Paradise area on October 22. A biologist picked out a location on a wildlife reserve next to a stream filled with fish.

Plenty of greens and berries will keep the now 90 pound plus bears happy and healthy until hibernation, Millham said.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care has helped ten other bear cubs so far this year.

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