An animal shelter that raised an orphaned bear cub rescued in the South Cariboo last fall will soon be releasing it back to the wilds.
On Oct. 1, 2012 Conservation Officers in 100 Mile House rescued a male black bear cub 15 kilometres north of Clinton, and sent it to Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter (NLWS) in Smithers.
NLWS owner-operator Angelika Langen says the cub, Bart, was captured after his mother was killed.
“Bart gave us some worries as first, as he seemed unstable in his movements. But, after a few days, all was well.”
Now, Bart has matured and will be ready to return to the wild in June, as one of 32 bears (29 black bears and three grizzlies) successfully raised to adulthood or rehabilitated at the shelter over the winter.
Due to a much higher volume of rescued bears last year than is usually seen, NLWS recently sought public help to fund their release, and successfully raised the $7,040 total costs to transport all the black bears back to the wilds.
“Bart will be released in the area [near] where he was born and become a part of his natural home range.”
NLWS accepts bears from across the province, Langen notes, with bears currently originating from Kamloops, Merritt, Castlegar, Golden, Prince George, Mackenzie, Smithers, Hazelton, Quesnel, Cache Creek/100 Mile House and Williams Lake areas.
All of these bears will be returned to their natural home range upon successful rehabilitation, she explains.
Langen adds NLWS is a registered charity that has been rehabilitating black bears since 1990 and grizzly bears since 2007. A total of 249 bears have been, or will be, released once they are ready.
The shelter also rehabs all other mammals, but specializes in bears and ungulates, and forwards birds to other shelters whenever possible.
Donations are crucial to the shelter's survival, she notes.
For more information visit the website at www.wildlifeshelter.com or contact Langen at 250-877-1181, 250-847-5101 or e-mail info@wildlifeshelter.com.