Crumpet, the orphaned bear cub found weak and underweight in Qualicum Beach earlier this month, is making a quick recovery at the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre in Errington.
The baby bruin was alone, with its mother nowhere in sight, when some residents found the animal and reported it to conservation officers. The cub was taken to the centre on April 15.
B次元官网网址淚t was very skinny, weighing only 2.8 pounds,B次元官网网址� said Derek Downes, an animal technician at the centre. B次元官网网址淪o it was very, very small. The initial report that it was on its own for three days was accurate. ItB次元官网网址檚 a good thing we got it when we did because it would not have lasted a lot longer without its mama. Cubs this young are still on a liquid diet, suckling off their mothers, so she was in grave danger by herself.B次元官网网址�
Downes said Crumpet is rapidly on the mend.
B次元官网网址淪heB次元官网网址檚 doubled in size already,B次元官网网址� said Downes. B次元官网网址淪he eating fantastic and has gained a lot of energy. Everything about the little one is really, really positive right now.B次元官网网址�
The centre takes care of man orphaned bears and Downes said itB次元官网网址檚 a challenging job.
B次元官网网址淲e are feeding them in a way that is unnatural to them as they are used to suckling from their mothers,B次元官网网址� Downes explained. B次元官网网址淲e use a syringe first, which is foreign to them. But it is vital to get the nutrition inside them.B次元官网网址�
Once the cub has recovered, the next step would be to try to get it off the syringe and train it to feed from a bowl to reduce human contact with them. ItB次元官网网址檚 time-consuming, said Downes.
B次元官网网址淲e spend many hours of the day taking care of this cub (Crumpet),B次元官网网址� said Downes. B次元官网网址淯nfortunately, sheB次元官网网址檚 not the only one that we take care of here. ThereB次元官网网址檚 multiple things going on. We have eagles, songbirds, ravens and other animals. So itB次元官网网址檚 a lot of work.B次元官网网址�
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The centre is already taking care of another cub received in January. Downes said Crumpet will eventually be paired with this cub but she needs to grow more in size.
B次元官网网址淭he size difference is just too drastic,B次元官网网址� said Downes. B次元官网网址淥ur first cub, Goldie, is already feeding on its own so we have to make sure weB次元官网网址檙e careful upon introduction. They will absolutely be together.B次元官网网址�
Aside from the cubs, the centre currently has three grown-up bears from last year set to be released to the wild this summer.
B次元官网网址淭his is the end of one cycle and the start of a new one,B次元官网网址� said Downes.
The centre, however, has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has lost one of its revenue sources as they are unable to open the centre to the public.
B次元官网网址淲e are hurting just like everybody else,B次元官网网址� said Downes. B次元官网网址淲e are a non-profit group and we rely on the public. We lost out on spring break and having our doors closed. We understand the reason for it and we want to keep everybody safe. WeB次元官网网址檙e in the same boat as everybody. But we rely on admissions, which are nil right now, and donations.B次元官网网址�
Anyone wishing to make a can call the gift shop at 250-248-8534.
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