Mama bear turns Tahoe crawlspace into baby nursery. See the ‘cuteness overload’
Mama black bears and their babies are officially back in their winter nurseries — underneath Lake Tahoe homes, video shows.
The Bear League, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting Tahoe-area bears, shared the first videos of mama bear Rose and her newborn triplets — Echo, Oakley, and Storm — under a Lake Tahoe cabin in a Tuesday, Feb. 24, Facebook post.
“Rose found an unsecured crawl space opening and gave birth before anyone realized she was there,” the post says. “As soon as the cubs were born, all bets were off and it was too late to evict her. ... The cubs would have died.”
The bear family will remain together under the cabin until April, the Bear League said.
The video shows Mama Rose on her side snuggling her cubs as they nurse — and squeal.
Video shows noisy newborn bears
Several social media users commented on the noise level coming from the tiny newborn bears.
“Boy, are those littles noisy!” Facebook user Julie Elizabeth Johnson wrote in a comment on Tuesday’s Facebook post.
“Somebody’s got a lot to say!” another Facebook commenter, Erin Lynch, said.
“Baby bear squeals! Finally!!” Facebook user Barb Schafer said in the comments. “They are so beautiful — well done, Mama Rose.”
“I swear one of them said, ‘Mom, feed me!’ at the start,” Facebook user Siobhan McNally wrote. “The cuteness overload is awesome. Who knew a thing the size of a soup can could be so loud.”
When do mama bears den for the winter in Tahoe?
The Bear League shared a photo of the “very tired” mama bear napping in the cabin’s crawlspace on Saturday, Feb. 21.
“You might remember her from last winter when she gave birth to Ellis and Rubicon,” the group said.
Four mother bears ended up nestled into spaces under Tahoe homes during the winter of 2025, The Sacramento Bee previously reported.
Bear cubs are typically born from the second week of January through the middle of February, The Bee reported in January 2025.
The Bear League said it gets staff get calls from Tahoe homeowners each year that mama bears have taken up winter residences under their homes, The Bee reported in January 2025.
The bear families emerged from those dens in the springtime “ready to take on the world,” starting with tree-climbing lessons, The Bee reported in April.
Bear mom lost cubs, started new family
Although Rose the bear gave birth to two cubs in the winter of 2025, both died.
“Ellis was hit by a car in the early fall and killed,” the league said in the Jan. 21 post about Mama Rose. “Rose and Rubicon survived but were both terribly traumatized. Two months later Rubicon was also killed (by a vehicle). Rose was alone now and we frantically worried about her.”
Rose met a male bear known as Bernardo and recently gave birth to her three new cubs, the league said.
“Thankfully she chose the perfect home, under the cabin of a super sweet young man who is tolerating the constant — and very loud — cub cries, and is helping us protect and keep them all safe,” the Bear League said. “He has named ‘his’ cubs Storm, Oakley, and Echo.”
“So happy for her after losing her previous cubs,” Facebook user Angi Cassabon wrote in a comment on the Bear League’s video post.
“Three little loaves of tiny bears,” Facebook user Gail Thraen wrote. “I hope they stay safe and nothing happens to them or their mama. It’s so amazing to see new life and dreadful when it’s gone.”
“Welcome, little ones,” another Facebook commenter, Dominique A. Balsoma, said. “I can’t wait to watch you grow.”
What to do if you see a bear
Bear attacks on people are rare are rare in the United States, according to the National Park Service.
In most encounters between bears and people, the bears are typically trying to defend their food, cubs or space.
There are steps people can take to help prevent a bear encounter from becoming a bear attack.
- Identify yourself: Talk calmly and slowly wave your arms. This can help the bear realize you’re a human and nonthreatening.
- Stay calm: Bears usually don’t want to attack; they want to be left alone. Talk slowly and with a low voice to the bear.
- Don’t scream: Screaming could trigger an attack.
- Pick up small children: Don’t let kids run away from the bear. It could think they’re small prey.
- Hike in groups: A group is noisier and smellier, the National Park Service said. Bears like to keep their distance from groups of people.
- Make yourself look big: Move to higher ground and stand tall. Don’t make any sudden movements.
- Don’t drop your bag: A bag on your back can keep a bear from accessing food, and it can provide protection.
- Walk away slowly: Move sideways so you appear less threatening to the bear. This also lets you keep an eye out.
- Again, don’t run: Bears will chase you, just like a dog would.
- Don’t climb trees: Grizzlies and black bears can also climb.
This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 9:39 AM with the headline "Mama bear turns Tahoe crawlspace into baby nursery. See the ‘cuteness overload’."
