Starving orphaned black bear rescued by Alberta wildlife officials
An emaciated orphaned black bear is recovering after being rescued by Alberta wildlife officials earlier this month.
The Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) say they will be “overwintering” a bear cub that was found alone and starving near the town of Barrhead on Dec. 9.
The cub was brought in to the AIWC by Alberta Environment and Parks, weighing 15 kg at the time, which is around a third of the size of a normal cub the same age.
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AIWC officials believe the young bear’s mother died which prevented it from gaining the amount of weight it needed to hibernation.
“To prevent a metabolic shock to his system, staff are slowly reintroducing food to the bear,” says the AIWC.
“Starting with simple proteins, like eggs, moving up to meats, and eventually fruits and vegetables, this process will help the young cub acclimate to a proper diet once again.”
The AIWC says it will take several months for the cub to gain the weight needed to return to the wild. The organization plans on caring for the bear until June of next year.
Residents can donate to help AIWC take care of injured and orphaned wildlife through Give the Gift of Saving Wildlife Fundraiser.
