LA Arboretum in Arcadia evacuated after mother bear, two cubs spotted in the area

The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia was evacuated Friday after a trio of bears were spotted. 

Several field trips were called to an abrupt halt at around 10:20 a.m. when the mother bear and two cubs were seen at the arboretum, located on at 301 N. Baldwin Ave, near the 210 Freeway. 

The bears climbed a tree at around 2 p.m., where they later fell asleep, according to Tim Daly with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

Officials were expecting to remain in the arboretum as long as necessary to capture the bears. They planned to tranquilize them before safely rehoming them back in a more dense area of wilderness. 

Since they are so far into a suburban area, they did not want to try and scare the bears to leave, which is a traditional tactic used in mountainous areas. 

"We are handling this slowly and will be with them until the end," said one CDFW official.

As a result, the arboretum was closed to the public throughout Friday as a precaution. 

There were no injuries reported in the incident.