Cubs

The Orphaned Black Bear project is forward looking and will build a secondary facility for orphaned black bears on Vancouver's North Shore, a myriad of wildlife corridors, forested areas, canyons, rivers and streams, drawing black bears off the Coast Mountains and into North Shore neighborhoods. The reek of garbage continues to attract bears for a good meal.  

OBB project is a humane step forward in understanding and dealing with bear behavior. The death of mother bears by motor vehicles, trains, other accidents and hunting will continue, but the care of victim cubs is one that will move education towards better understanding of the situation surrounding these misunderstood, but wild animals.

Stage 1 of the OBB project is in the good hands of Gail Martin, founder/director of Critter Care Society, the only rehabilitation centre in the Metro/Vancouver area.  Gail has released 57 black bears back into the wild over four years and recently rescued (2 pound each) twins Hunter and Zoe who she hand feeds with bottles.  Critter Care is funded by donations and will continue with the necessary primary care needs of orphaned cubs.

Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife's Dr. Ken Macquisten was asked by Premier Campbell to come up with a plan.  With Barry Penner, Ministry of Environment and Staff, West Vancouver's Ralph Sultan, District of North Vancouver's Mayor, Richard Walton, Councillors, and Staff, Critter Care Society and North Shore bear educators and experts, they worked together to bring about this wildlife goal.

The Ministry, with as little human contact as possible, will transport orphaned cubs 1st to Critter Care and then to the Intermediary Care facility on Fromme Mountain. They will be released from the 2nd facility back into the wild with skills a mother would have instilled in them, as healthy young adult bears.

It's rare government agencies and the public get a chance to work together on an important wildlife project like this and to make such a difference.  

Many thanks to NowPublic for their coverage.  

Betty Carrington, North Shore Urban Bear Club [BC Nature/FBCN club]