Conservation officers are getting set to release a young black bear orphaned last fall when three other members of his family were killed in a vehicle collision on Highway 99 near Brackendale.
Noah, who was seven or eight months old when his mother and two siblings were killed, has been gaining both size and strength at the Critter Care animal rehabilitation facility in Langley since arriving there last September. This May or June, conservation officers plan to release him back into the wild in his home range near Squamish.
But even though 18 months is about the age that most young bears are dispersed by their mothers, he's expected to have a difficult time fending for himself, partly because he'll face the same hazards as all young bears traffic hazards, other predators and the lure of habituation to human-produced food sources and partly because he has lost a critical parenting period.
Relocation of bears, though one of few options available to authorities, is a highly problematic strategy, said Meg Toom, Squamish Bear Aware co-ordinator.
He will be relocated within his home range but it will still be in an unfamiliar area, Toom wrote in an email. He faces the challenge of possibly being placed in an area where dominant males are already established, he will have to find natural food sources independently after being only eight months old when he lost his family when the typical age for a bear to be released from the family unit is at 17 months or so.
It's not necessarily a good thing for the bear, she added. Certainly it's a tough life for him because they're just being plunked into an area that they're not completely familiar with, and in this bear's case, he lost about eight months of parental training.
During his time at Critter Care, Noah grew from a fuzzy young cub of the year to a shedding, 110-pound, somewhat scraggly looking yearling, or bear in its second year of life, Toom said. Despite that, he's about the normal weight for a bear of his age and is expected to regain his coat this spring and summer.
With the Sea to Sky Corridor's bears emerging from winter hibernation, Toom urged area residents to keep attractants such as garbage, bird seed and pet food indoors and, when driving, to watch your speed and be on the lookout for wildlife. As well, wildlife sightings should be phoned in to the Ministry of Environment's toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
