from on .
A team of local wildlife watching guides fastened a happy ending onto a heartbreaking situation over the weekend by rescuing a tiny baby black bear that was stubbornly refusing to leave its dead mother乌鸦传媒檚 side.
John Forde and Jennifer Steven co-own The Whale Centre in Tofino and, when the husband and wife team received a report of a bear cub hanging around a deceased adult bear in Ross Pass on Friday, they immediately headed out to investigate, discovering the tragic scene around 5 p.m.
乌鸦传媒淲e got up there and the little cub was hanging around the mom and was a little too skittish and spooked and went up to the top of one of the trees,乌鸦传媒� Forde told the Westerly News.
He said he and Steven returned for another rescue effort early Saturday morning.
乌鸦传媒淭he little cub was laying on its mother. Jen dropped me on the rocks a little ways away and I snuck around and slowly went up and, this time, she didn乌鸦传媒檛 run away. She actually went back and used [her] mom as protection and I was able to capture her and carry her back down and onto the boat,乌鸦传媒� he said.
乌鸦传媒淚t was a tiny little cub. Probably three to four months old, so really small, but still big claws and teeth and all the rest of that乌鸦传媒t sort of growled and complained at first and then clawed onto me and just held on and I was able to get a hold of it and get her back. It was pretty cool.乌鸦传媒�
He said he knew if he could not grab the cub, it would not survive the wild on its own.
乌鸦传媒淎ll I wanted to do was be super calm and not spook it, so that I had the chance to capture it because I knew that, if I couldn乌鸦传媒檛 get a hold of this bear, if it kept eluding me, it was going die up there. It would have no other hope to survive,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 all I was thinking. I wasn乌鸦传媒檛 really concerned about anything else. I had thick gloves and long sleeve jacket on so I wasn乌鸦传媒檛 too concerned乌鸦传媒ut when it started crawling up onto my back, I was just going, 乌鸦传媒極h man, don乌鸦传媒檛 bite me now.乌鸦传媒�
In a blog posted to The Whale Centre乌鸦传媒檚 website, Steven recalled the young bear乌鸦传媒檚 distress.
乌鸦传媒淚t was screaming. My heart was breaking listening to its screams but I knew this was its only chance to survive,乌鸦传媒� she wrote.
The bear was brought back to Tofino and handed over to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service in Port Alberni, which then took it to the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre in Errington where it will be raised with the intent of releasing it back into the wild once it乌鸦传媒檚 ready, according to Forde.
He said it was the first time he had ever handled a bear and he was happy to help give this one a chance at survival.
乌鸦传媒淚t just makes your heart glow. It makes you feel like you乌鸦传媒檙e doing something good in this world especially with all the bad things out there,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 just part of my nature to do that. I乌鸦传媒檝e always felt close to animals and wildlife. A poor helpless little thing like that; I乌鸦传媒檓 not one to just sit back and not help. That乌鸦传媒檚 not me.乌鸦传媒�
He added the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre plans to release the bear back to where it was rescued from and he encourages locals to look into the organization and consider donating.
乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e making a difference,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淓verybody moves out here because they enjoy the wildness and the wilderness and these guys are doing a good thing to help animals out.乌鸦传媒�
Trevor Chester, an Animal Care Technician with the Recovery Centre, told the Westerly Monday morning that the bear is doing well, but is malnourished.
乌鸦传媒淚t was definitely underweight when it came in. We乌鸦传媒檙e not sure how long it乌鸦传媒檚 mom had passed away, but it乌鸦传媒檚 definitely underweight so it乌鸦传媒檚 been alone for some time at least. So, that乌鸦传媒檚 the situation we have right now,乌鸦传媒� he said adding the small animal is being fed a special milk-formula designed for bear cubs.
乌鸦传媒淭he care is a little bit more hands-on, at least at first. But, we want to get them away from us as soon as possible so that they don乌鸦传媒檛 become habituated乌鸦传媒e want to get them on their own as soon as possible so that we don乌鸦传媒檛 have to be physically feeding them and so they don乌鸦传媒檛 think that we乌鸦传媒檙e 乌鸦传媒榤om.乌鸦传媒� The sooner we can get them eating on their own, the better. That乌鸦传媒檚 the goal. Then we can lead them on their own and they can start learning to be a bear.乌鸦传媒�
He said the centre hopes to release the bear back into the wild in about a year-and-a-half.
乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 about how long they would stay with mom until they乌鸦传媒檙e on their own in the wild. So that乌鸦传媒檚 generally how long they stay here, until they乌鸦传媒檙e old enough to be able to fend for themselves,乌鸦传媒� he said.
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