After being rehabilitated at the North Island Wildlife Rescue Centre in Errington, six orphaned black bear cubs were released on June 21, near where they were first located.
Derek Downes, animal care superintendent, said itB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渁 special dayB次元官网网址� when the bruins are set free.
B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e a big part of my life, and all of our lives for the time that theyB次元官网网址檙e all with us,B次元官网网址� said Downes. B次元官网网址淭he end goal is to always get them back home where they belong. They stay with us and although itB次元官网网址檚 fairly long, itB次元官网网址檚 just one stop of their journey back to the wild. We cared for them day in and day out and we want them to have the best chance to survive and weB次元官网网址檙e always confident when theyB次元官网网址檙e released.B次元官网网址�
The B.C. Ministry of Forests and veterinarians were at centre to check on the bearsB次元官网网址� health before they were sedated for transport.
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B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 always gratifying when the comment on the conditions of the coat, the overall body condition and everything, and thatB次元官网网址檚 how it should be for the cubs,B次元官网网址� said Downes. B次元官网网址淭he most important thing is, theyB次元官网网址檙e acting like wild bears. ItB次元官网网址檚 a really special thing. ThereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of hard work that goes into it.B次元官网网址�
Being released back into the wild, thereB次元官网网址檚 always a question about how the bears would survive on their own as they have been under the care of the centre. Will they be able to hunt for their food?
B次元官网网址淏lack bears donB次元官网网址檛 really hunt,B次元官网网址� Downes explained. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e typically foragers. They have one of the strongest senses of smell in the whole animal kingdom. So they donB次元官网网址檛 have to be taught how to smell. But what we do while theyB次元官网网址檙e here is enrich them with different scents. We hide food in the enclosure at different spots. So theyB次元官网网址檙e learning, smelling and following it around. TheyB次元官网网址檙e also natural log grounds in there that harbour insects colonies because black bears eat a lot of insects. That makes a big portion of their protein.B次元官网网址�
Downes said black bears will spent six to eight hours foraging to get their calories. And this is why residents should be more conscious of how they dispose off garbage and securing compost.
B次元官网网址淭hey can spend hours foraging for garbage,B次元官网网址� said Downes. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 why itB次元官网网址檚 important, as a community, we are bear aware. We have to make sure weB次元官网网址檙e doing all the right things to keep our birds wild and to share our beautiful home with them.B次元官网网址�
The release of the bears is also a circle of life at the centre, said Downs. Just before the six bears were set free, the centre received two abandoned cubs for rehabilitation and more may be on the way.
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 know how many more bears we will get this year,B次元官网网址� said Downes. B次元官网网址淲e already got two and theyB次元官网网址檙e starting their journey.B次元官网网址�
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