Bear family rescued from large water tank in La Verne during heat wave

A family of black bears are safe after being rescued from a large water tank in La Verne amid a dangerous heat wave in Los Angeles, according to L.A. County officials.

A large “Mama Bear” and her three cubs fell into the concrete cistern in Marshall Canyon County Park near the Claremont Wilderness Park’s 5-Mile Loop Trail, where they were rescued late Saturday night, the L.A. County Fire Department said.

The bears were first discovered around 8 a.m. Saturday by three Glendora residents who were out running on the trial.

“We heard this howling, whimpering noise and couldn’t figure out where it was coming from,” one of the runners, Jamie Kirk, told The Times. They traced the sound back to the cistern and climbed up about seven feet to its small opening.

“And as soon as we look in the hole, there’s the mama bear staring at us,” he said. “It was full of water, so she had to basically stand up and lean on the wall to stay out of the water.”

One cub managed to escape on its own before help arrived. Then, crews from the Urban Search and Rescue team worked with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to drain the tank and help save the remaining bears from drowning, officials said.

They widened the small vent hole the bears had fallen through and put a ladder inside so the bears could climb out.

The remarkable moment was captured on video shared by the fire department, which shows one of the bears hoisting itself to the top of the large tank before jumping into some bushes.

All three were declared safe around 10 p.m., which means they were in the tank for at least 12 hours if not far longer, Kirk said.

“They could have been in there a couple days for as long as we know,” he said. “It was enough where the mama bear was moaning loudly trying to get help.”

Officials said the animals may have entered the tank because they were thirsty. The high temperature in La Verne Saturday was 97 degrees.

The water tank is “now being secured to prevent bears or other wildlife from becoming trapped there in the future,” the Department of Fish and Wildlife said.