The whole shelter has been in an extremely happy and positive mood recently, on September 12th, we received the first black bear of the season from Prince George. Unfortunately the mother was hit by a car and left behind one cub which is now safely in our care. He is very healthy, has a large appetite and has settled into his enclosure extremely well. Later on the same day we received word that three more bears were on their way from a town called Kamloops and they also arrived here safely on the 14th. Their story is just as heartbreaking as the first bear's. Their mother was shot by a resident who believed she was approaching him. After the arrival of each bear I feel a bout of sadness as I learn of their backgrounds, and seeing them in the enclosures only reinforces the fact to me that they are orphaned. I know that they will be well looked after here though and I am greatly looking forward to watching them grow and be released next year.
The arrival of these bears does not just mean more work for the shelter though, it is also a much needed drive for donations. The shelter runs almost entirely on donations, and without any bears this important funding just hasn't been coming in. General maintenance of the shelter has huge costs, as well as the new enclosures that need to be built and preparing the already standing buildings for the winter also incurs large fees. Hopefully the arrival of the four cubs will boost donations and the work can continue.
Through working at the shelter I have learnt that many of the cubs we receive are orphaned as a result of their mother being killed after being deemed 'problem bears'. The issue with this however, is that problem bears are most often created by human ignorance and carelessness. Problem bears are not born with conflict on the brain, they are simply looking for food and a way to feed their cubs, and as bear and human territory is overlapping more and more with the ever increasing human population, these so called 'problem bears' are also on the rise as we continue to encroach on their feeding areas. Walking around town I have been shown areas that aren't 'bear aware'. Apples left lying on the ground by back gates, bins that are left open and are not bear proof. It is things like this that causes bears to approach towns, they are not looking for trouble, just food. Just last week, for example, I was shown a picture of two grizzlies 'raiding' a truck used by campers. Food was left out in the open in the back of the truck and they were parked under apple trees in known bear territory. This is not the fault of the bears, who were incidentally later euthanised for being 'problem bears', this is the carelessness of humans that has caused the death of two beautiful animals. I implore anyone reading this blog that lives in known bear habitat to learn how to reduce the availability of bear attractants to your property. It could save the lives of many bears.
On a final note the four bear cubs have yet to be named, and we are drawing a blank here at the shelter so if anyone has any ideas for names please let me know and I shall pass them on. Thank you :)
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