TEMPLETON, Mass. (AP) - A portion of a Massachusetts highway was shut down while state wildlife officials moved a family of bears that had set up a den in the median.

State police shut down a stretch of Route 2 in Templeton on Thursday morning while state environmental police tranquilized the mother bear and relocated her and her cubs to a safer location in a nearby state forest. Authorities say the bears had to be moved as a precaution to ensure their own safety as well as the safety of motorists.

Route 2 is a four-lane highway in that area and was shut down for about 45 minutes. State police tweeted that "everything went beary well" with the move.

Everything went beary well! Mother ?? was tranquilized. Mother & cubs have been relocated to a safe location by @MAEnviroPolice & MassWildlife in nearby State Forest.

Thank you all for your patience in #MAtraffic while we made this happen. pic.twitter.com/W0QxsIenKQ

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— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) March 14, 2019