Preliminary repatriation attempts in Louisiana took place in March of 1998. A female and two cubs were removed from her winter den on Epps Plantation (formerly Deltic Timber Corporation) lands in Madison Parish, Louisiana and placed in a den box on the southern portion of the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). In late February of 1999, another female and 2 cubs from Epps Plantation lands were placed in a den at the Buckhorn Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Tensas Parish. Both females stayed in the general area where they were released, giving credence to the translocation mechanism. As a result, more extensive repatriation efforts were planned for establishing a bear population in central Louisiana.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service assessed habitat suitability to bring bears to an area in Louisiana in lower Concordia, eastern Avoyelles, western West Feliciana, and upper Pointe Coupee Parishes. Called the Three Rivers Complex, the area contains roughly 105,000 acres of public land found in the Bayou Cocodrie NWR, the Lake Ophelia NWR, the Three Rivers WMA, Red River WMA, Grassy Lake WMA, and the Spring Bayou WMA.

The area also contains over 50,000 acres of privately owned woodlands and is an active area for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) enrollments. These incentive programs for private landowners are being utilized to "fill the gaps" and tie the existing fragmented woodlands together. There are several WRP Special Projects that will connect tracts of public land with newly planted hardwood sites.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also assessed community acceptance of repatriation plan through public meetings in the area. Landowners and local officials were very supportive of repatriation and the overall bear recovery program. The BBCC and agencies continue to work together to build support for bears and bear recovery. Involving the local communities is a primary goal of the agencies and organizations working to make this effort succeed.

Between 2001 and 2002, a total of 5 adult females and 12 cubs were moved to Red River WMA (2 females from Saint Mary Parish and 3 females from Epps Plantation). Between 2003 and 2004, 11 adult females and 28 cubs were moved to Lake Ophelia NWR (6 from Tensas River NWR and 5 from Epps Plantation). Between 2005 and 2006, 14 adult females and 29 cubs were moved to Three Rivers WMA (10 from Tensas River NWR and 6 from Epps Plantation). Since repatriation efforts began in March 2001, a total of 30 adult females and 69 cubs have been moved to the repatriation area. The females have been monitored extensively and most have stayed in and around the Complex. Adult bears have already been captured in the Complex that had been moved there as cubs. The first “natural” reproduction of the project was documented in 2005. A female moved in 2003 raised her four cubs in the Three Rivers Complex, mated with a male in West Feliciana Parish, LA, and had a record five cub litter in Wilkinson County, MS. In 2006, five more previously repatriated females were found with new cubs in and around the Three Rivers Complex, providing a good indication of the project’s success.