What happens to B.C.’s released orphan bear cubs? New study aims to find out

For nan first clip successful B.C., scientists and conservationists are getting an wrong look astatine what happens to orphaned black bear cubs erstwhile they’re released backmost into nan wild.

While location are records of nan occasional released carnivore that comes into conflict pinch humans aliases is killed by a hunter, nan destiny of astir cubs — including whether they suffer predation aliases starvation — remains mostly unknown.

That is, until now.

The Northern Lights Wildlife Society, which rehabilitates and releases orphaned animals, secured a assistance and has collaborated pinch nan University of Victoria to study nan destiny of young achromatic bears it releases.

“Our purpose is to create a peer-reviewed insubstantial aliases respective peer-reviewed papers that are past disposable online for everybody,” explained Angelika Langen, executive head of nan Northern Lights Wildlife Society.

“So anybody who is looking to do a programme for illustration this successful different state aliases successful nan (United States) aliases wherever successful nan world pinch different types of bears has nan accusation that we person gathered complete nan 34 years and past finalized successful this study and tin build connected that to do their ain programs.”

The society, which is based retired of Smithers, has looked aft much than 800 orphaned bears successful nan past 3 decades.

The squad has installed power collars connected 42 juvenile achromatic bears truthful far. The collars are designed to popular disconnected automatically aft 500 days truthful they don’t constrain nan increasing bears, and tin beryllium removed by a carnivore who is successful discomfort. They’re besides equipped pinch some GPS and VHF exertion to let outer and localized search for observation.

“I tin move nan machine connected and spot wherever our bears are, wherever they are travelling, really acold they are travelling,” said Langen.

“We presently person group successful nan section that are looking to find immoderate of these bears and pinch a drone do immoderate visuals conscionable to spot what their assemblage information is like, are they doing well, person they recovered capable food, are they managing good successful general.”

So far, 2 bears person removed their collars, while nan squad has confirmed 1 was killed by a cougar.

Trending Now

Langen said nan squad is peculiarly willing successful really galore and which bears are nan victims of predators, typically cougars and different bears. Avoiding predators, she said, is thing nan cubs can’t beryllium taught successful rehabilitation.

“I person nary thought really we would thatch them that successful our facility,” she said. “It’s not for illustration I tin fto a cougar loose successful their cage.”

Just for illustration humans, bears person chopped personalities, Langen said.

One bear, for example, has travelled astir 500 kilometres since its release, while different travelled astir arsenic acold only to return to its merchandise tract to hibernate.

Langen is hoping nan information collected could thief place which characteristic traits people a carnivore arsenic amended suited for endurance and release.

“Does it person to do pinch our merchandise sites? Does it person to do pinch conscionable personalities?” she said.

“We are trying to stitchery arsenic overmuch accusation arsenic we tin and study truthful we tin assistance them, we fto them spell retired location and make judge they person nan champion chance possible.”

A University of Victoria master’s student is collaborating pinch nan task and will usage 2 years of information to taxable a insubstantial for adjacent review. The task will besides usage erstwhile power collar information from bears that were released connected Vancouver Island and successful nan Lower Mainland.

Langen said nan dream is to person early students motion connected to transportation nan investigation guardant complete nan pursuing 3 years and nutrient much peer-reviewed research.