Two orphaned bears to be returned to the wild
Posted May 29, 2016 9:07 am.
Last Updated May 29, 2016 9:10 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
PORT HARDY (NEWS 1130) – You may remember a story about two bear cubs that made headlines last year when a conservation officer refused to kill them after their mother was killed for stealing food from a mobile home in Port Hardy.
The two bears – Jordan and Athena – have spent nearly a year at the North Island Wildlife Recovery Center near Parksville. They are now 15 months old and are set to be released somewhere near Smithers as early as next month. Before they are let go, they will both be fitted with GPS collars.
Wildlife manager Julie Mackie says that as part of an agreement with the province, her facility will be footing the $5,000 bill for the collars. “It is a financial output for us but we will come up the funds to do it. We wouldn’t have agreed to it if we couldn’t make it happen.”
The collars will provide daily data about the bears; their whereabouts, heart rate, temperature and how long they hibernate.
Bear expert Angelika Langen says it’s important to monitor the bears once they’re released from rehab. “What the government is looking for is some sort of proof that rehabilitation is working beyond the fact that they don’t show up and become nuisance bears.”
