Black bears mate in June, July and August. The cubs are born in February. How can that be?

The female is receptive to the male only when it doesn’t have cubs. This is why males tend to kill the cubs that are with their mother, so they can mate. But don’t worry for the cubs; a mom that protects its cubs can be really fierce! We once have witnessed a fight that was particularly bloody for a male.

When the male and female mate, the male’s semen stays into the female’s body until the fall. If the female puts on enough weight to spend the winter and give birth to the cubs, the fertilization can happen. If the female isn’t ready, it will reject the sperm and will have her periods.

The cubs will be born in February still in an embryo-like stage, insensitive to the cold. They do not winter, since they need to feed on rich milk from their mother. This milk will help them develop properly. The mother will give birth without pain, since the cubs are the size of a shrimp. The female gives birth to 1 to 4 cubs every other year.

The female keeps her cubs close to her during the first season. They will winter together during the winter, after which she will throw them out at around June. Bears do not attack humans unless in very exceptional circumstances. To be stuck between a mother and her cubs, for example, can be a dangerous situation for a human being!

In 1999, we had a mother bear with 4 healthy cubs.