Three grizzly cubs whose mother was destroyed after she mauled a hunter to death in west-central Alberta are on their way to a new home on the weekend.

One of the orphans was found in a trap Saturday and the other two were found Sunday in the same general area where their mother was shot and killed by wildlife officials Thursday, said Duncan MacDonnell, public affairs officer for the Sustainable Resources Department.

The two males and one female are between 1½ and two years old and in good health, he said.

"We've taken some genetic samples, installed ear transmitters on them and they are now in transit to be released in a remote part of the province well away from any people."

The area in northern Alberta is good grizzly habitat, MacDonnell added.

The ear transmitters will allow wildlife officers to keep tabs on the young bruins. Officials opted for the small devices instead of a radio collar around the neck.

"We don't do radio collars when they're this young because those collars have to fit fairly snugly, and because they're still growing, it's actually more dangerous to put a collar on them," MacDonnell said.

Grizzly that mauled hunter shot

The female adult was tracked and killed after she attacked Robert Wagner, 48, of Didsbury, Alta., late last month. He was reported missing after failing to return from a hunting trip Sept. 29 near Sundre.

His remains were found a few days later and tests confirmed he had been mauled by a grizzly.

MacDonnell said that the outlook for the three siblings is positive: "What I've been told by our bear experts … is that they have a very good chance of survival in the wild."

But Cliff Wallis, vice-president of the Alberta Wilderness Association, said "there's little hope" for the animals. He said bear cubs often stay with their mother for the first several years of their life to learn about food sources and their home range.

Wallis is also upset that wildlife officers killed the mother at a time when grizzly numbers are dwindling in the province.

Conservationists estimate there are fewer than 500 grizzlies in Alberta. Earlier this month, the province revealed that a continuing count has found fewer than 300 of the bears, although numbers from one region are still outstanding.