Watch: Sheriff’s Deputies Rescue Bear Cub Stuck in Tahoe Dumpster

This isn’t a new situation for Placer County Sheriff’s, who sometimes tend to need to deal with bear incidents more often than human incidents. But when a bear cub got trapped in a Kings Beach dumpster, they took on the dangerous job of rescuing it with momma bear nearby.

It was nighttime when the cub got trapped in the Tahoe dumpster, and Sheriff’s deputies watched as the momma bear and sibling cub made an attempt at rescuing their family member. Finally, when momma bear hid off to the side, the deputies took the opportunity to rescue the cub by placing a ladder in the dumpster for it to crawl out.

Bears have become more prevalent in Tahoe over the past decade, learning how to take break into cars and homes to get a delicious human meal. In fact, the frequency of bear incidents have become a huge point of disdain between wildlife officials and bear activists.

Sitting right in the middle of everything is the Placer County Sheriff, who routinely performs missions like these to help locals deal with the ever-growing bear population.