A wildlife capture operation at one of Albuquerque’s best-known private golf clubs ended tragically this week when a mother bear died, leaving behind two cubs that officials plan to relocate.
Tanoan Country Club is tucked into the base of the Sandia Mountains in northeast Albuquerque, where its 27 holes wind through mature trees, water features and residential areas. The course was designed by former PGA Tour player Bruce Devlin and architect Robert von Hagge and features three separate nine-hole layouts. That combination of golf, homes and natural terrain also puts the property in the kind of environment where encounters with wildlife can occur.
Albuquerque Fire Rescue assisted the New Mexico Department of Wildlife with Monday’s operation. According
to a story from the Albuquerque Journal, wildlife officials said the mother bear died from injuries suffered during the sedation and trapping process.
Nirankar Horak, executive director of the Land of Enchantment Wildlife Foundation, said the outcome was particularly difficult because officials generally try to keep a mother and her cubs together until they would naturally separate.
"It's unfortunate. You know, we always want to keep moms and their cubs together for as long as they naturally would be together. And so anytime that we can do that is ideal," Horak said.
Wildlife capture operations are designed to protect both animals and people, but Horak said there is always an element of risk.
"Unfortunately, sometimes with a drop, there are consequences that come with that," she said.
Wildlife officials told the Journal that the two cubs will be relocated to suitable habitat away from populated areas. Horak said her foundation had not been contacted about taking them and noted that the need for rehabilitation depends in part on the animals’ health and weight.
"If they're of good health, good weight, and right now the rule is 35 pounds or more, then we're probably not going to see them come in," Horak said.
The club describes the three nines as distinct layouts that can be combined in different configurations. Devlin and von Hagge were a notable architectural partnership. Devlin brought the perspective of a Tour player to a design operation headed by von Hagge, whose courses became known for visually dramatic shaping and strategic hazards.
But as bears increasingly make their way into populated areas, Horak said wildlife officials are being stretched by the number of calls they receive and that residents can play a larger role in discouraging animals from lingering around neighborhoods.
The New Mexico Department of Wildlife had not provided additional information about the capture or the condition of the two cubs.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Mother bear dies during capture at New Mexico golf course, leaving two cubs
