(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Guests at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZoo) may have noticed a furry guest sleeping in a tree over the last few weeks, and while the black bear cub decided the zoo was a nice place to visit from time to time, it ultimately had to be captured as zoo officials determined it was likely orphaned and too young to survive without intervention.

According to CMZoo, on Thursday, July 11, staff partnered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Southeast Region (CPW SE Region) to safely remove the cub from a tree on Zoo grounds. Staff helped to keep the public away as officers sedated the cub and used a boom lift to safely rescue the bear. The male cub was then brought to CMZoo’s veterinary clinic for a health assessment.

“The little guy will go to a rehabilitation facility, where he will stay until late fall,” wrote CMZoo.

According to wildlife officers, the cub will be released back into the wild this winter. “Once it is time for wild bears to “den up,” CPW will create a man-made den for the bear cub and release it to the wild,” explained CMZoo.

CMZoo said it’s thankful the cub decided to make one of its trees his temporary home as CPW has been monitoring his movements for the past several weeks, ultimately leading to his rescue.

“The hope is that he will sleep the winter away and when spring arrives, he will be older and able to live on his own,” wrote CMZoo.