A mother bear clawed at the silver handle on a trash bin Sunday night in a parking lot in Azusa.

She wasn’t trying to get the trash. The mother was attempting to rescue her bear cub from inside the bin, KTLA-TV Channel 5 reported.

Another cub leaned his front paws on the bin’s side and looked on as the mother bear tried to free the trapped cub, according to KTLA footage. When the mother was unsuccessful, the onlooking cub then tried to scramble up and pull open the top.

Neither bear could open the bin, but California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials were on their way.


Authorities arrived on the scene Sunday night, flashing bright lights and blaring sirens to scare the bears away temporarily, KTLA reported.

Officials opened the lid, and the trapped baby bear crawled out to the family, with a piece of trash dangling from its right ear.

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