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SITKA - The three orphan bear cubs at the Fortress of the Bear may eventually wind up at a zoo in another state.

They will spend the rest of their lives in captivity and under observation, but the state Department of Fish and Game believes that their lives up to the time they were taken into custody is worth knowing about, too.

To that end, Fish and Game wildlife biologist Phil Mooney is asking residents to help document the cubs' activities from the time they, their mother and a sibling first turned up in Sitka early this summer until their capture on Aug. 16.

"We have all these pictures that people took of the bears wandering through residential neighborhoods for two months," Mooney said. "I know there are hundreds out there."

He said he believes an electronic scrapbook, which could include digital photos and scanned photographs, would be of interest to people who see the bears wherever they wind up.

Photos and narratives related to the cubs may be sent sitkasow4cubs@gmail.com.

Mooney asked that contributors include name, phone numbers and the date and place the photo was taken.

The cubs were picked up and taken to Fortress, a non-profit bear habitat, on Aug. 16 after Fish and Game determined they had likely been orphaned.

Originally there were four cubs with the sow. When the cubs turned up wandering through town without the mother bear nearby, Mooney suspected she was dead.

That was confirmed on Aug. 26, when a hiker found a decomposing bear carcass near Shaffer's Trailer Court in the 2300 block of Halibut Point Road. Even before the carcass was found, it was feared that the sow might have died from the effect of the many times she was struck by "non-lethal" projectiles fired at her by public safety officers attempting to haze her back into the woods.

Investigation is ongoing, but Mooney said he has been unable to move the remains because of the advanced state of decay.

One of the cubs died from a misplaced dart as it was being captured. Mooney said every effort is being made to keep the three remaining siblings together "as a social group," even if they are relocated.

"We're looking for someone that will take them as a family unit," Mooney said. "There's a good chance that will happen this year."

The Bronx Zoo, one of the biggest and most visited zoos in the world, is one of those that have been contacted. Evy Kinnear, one of the directors of the Fortress, raised the possibility recently of relocating the Fortress' two young resident bears, Killisnoo and Chaik, to a new facility, while keeping the three new cubs in Sitka.