Will there be a Goldilocks and the Three Bears happy ending for the dozen or so marijuana guard bears that were protecting a cannabis grow op near Christiana Lake in southeastern B.C.?

The female owner of the unique pot farm in the woods was busted by the RCMP about two weeks ago when they raided the ursine hide-a-way and to their amazement found mama bear, papa bear and baby bear ambling unsteadily around the rural property and for all intents and purposes guarding the stash.

According to a CBC crew on the scene RCMP Sgt. Fred Mansveld told them the owner, who goes by the sobriquet “Bear Lady” appeared to be using the burly bruins to keep people away from her 1,000 or so plants of B.C. Bud.

“(Officers) soon noticed the bears were docile and tame,” Mansveld told CBC News.

A neighbour said the woman, who is facing marijuana charges related to her cash crop, had been feeding Yogi and his bear friends for years. Police said a member of the furry security patrol even climbed up onto one of their unmarked police cars for a while.

But the Bad News Bears have become habituated to humans and police say it’s up to provincial conservation officers to decide whether or not they will have to be destroyed. Grand Forks CO Dave Webster visited the site Wednesday but said one day is barely enough time for an investigation.

Deciding the fate of the 10 to 15 bears on the site will not be a quick decision, he said. “We’re going to monitor these animals and see if some of them will move on to greener pastures so to say and utilize the natural food sources that are available to them.”

But if the CO’s find that the bears have been eating an “unnatural diet” as alleged, the Bear Lady could be facing more than drug charges, said Webster. “We don’t like seeing bears getting food that they shouldn’t have, especially in a situation like this so we’re looking at a couple of issues.”

The “issues” include charges under the provincial Wildlife Act of feeding dangerous wildlife and leaving out attractants for dangerous wildlife, he said.

As for the fate of the bears which include a couple of sows, a boar and cubs, Webster said there won’t be a rush to judgment. “That (killing the bears) could be an option where we would say for safety’s sake well try to put all these animals down. But that, at this point, I think is a little unfair to the animals.”

Some of the bears may just be “passing through” and using the site on a temporary basis while others may have become habituated so it won’t be a quick or easy decision, Webster said.

Reflecting on the unusual situation, Webster said he’s heard of similar incidents, “but nothing of this magnitude.” More than anything else, he said it sounds like “good intentions gone awry.”