Minnesota officers rescue bear cub from family's basement

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Photo credit: Taylor Stutsman

A pair of police officers from Duluth, Minnesota received a police call they would never forget Saturday evening—a family had a black bear cub in their basement. 

Officer Taylor Stutsman with the Duluth Police Department told Fox 9 an elderly couple called 911 to report the bear, which had gotten itself stuck in the house when he managed to sneak through a cracked window. The homeowners did not know he was there until they heard him crying for his mother from the basement. 

As the officers arrived on scene, Stutsman says she joked to her partner to “keep an eye out for mama.” Almost immediately, they spotted an adult black bear about 15 yards from the house. 

Inside the home, the officers found one of the homeowners holding a laundry basket upside down over the bear cub. Stutsman said she and her partner made a makeshift kennel to carry the bear cub upstairs. They let him out of the back door, where the cub was quickly reunited with its mother, who was waiting outside. 

Stutsman said she was thankful the incident had a happy outcome for everyone. 

“You never know what to expect with this job,” she said. “That bear cub was definitely the cutest burglar I have ever caught.” 

Authorities are now reminding residents to lock their doors and windows as animals like bears become more active in the warmer months.