update - bear rehab campaign
(September 2007)

When Zoocheck learned that two orphaned grizzly bear cubs were captured in the wild and placed in Alberta zoos, a campaign was launched to convince the zoos and relevant government authorities to place the cubs into a rehabilitation program in British Columbia to ascertain whether or not they were suitable candidates for release back into the wild. This initiative follows up on Zoocheck’s past campaigns aimed at keeping polar bears and black bears in the wild.

One of the cubs, nicknamed Banff by wildlife protection advocates, had been orphaned in Banff National Park when his mother and sibling were been killed by a train, making him the “property” of Parks Canada under the federal Ministry of the Environment. Parks Canada asked the Calgary Zoo to hold Banff until another facility could be found to keep him.

The second cub, named Koda, was picked up by Alberta Fish and Wildlife near Grande Prairie after his den was uncovered by logging equipment and his mother was scared away. The Alberta Minister of Sustainable Resource Development turned over “ownership” of Koda to the Edmonton Valley Zoo, who later transferred him to the Calgary Zoo.

Unfortunately, the BC government would not allow the cubs to enter the province for the purpose of rehabilitation unless there was a commitment by the Alberta government and Parks Canada that they could be returned and released back into Alberta, and in the case of Banff, back into Banff National Park. The Calgary Zoo agreed to keep the cubs temporarily but said they did not have the space to keep the bears over the long term. To date neither the Calgary Zoo nor Parks Canada has been able to find the cubs a permanent home, so the cubs are still stuck in limbo at the Calgary Zoo.

The campaign to place the two cubs into a rehabilitation program generated a great deal of public and media attention and was a major factor in convincing the BC government to allow a grizzly bear rehabilitation program to proceed. In fact, the program moved forward with the facility that Zoocheck had identified as the best option for Banff and Koda, the Northern Lights Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Throughout the campaign, Zoocheck partnered with the International Fund for Animal Welfare, who is now assisting Northern Lights with expertise from their successful Russian bear rehabilitation program, as well as funding.

The first grizzly bear cub (not Banff or Koda who still reside at the Calgary Zoo) has now entered the new BC program and is reportedly doing very well. It is expected that she will be released next spring. While this little cub is not the first to be rehabilitated in British Columbia, she is the first under this new government sanctioned program. This is a critical step forward to ensure that all orphaned cubs will be given the opportunity to be returned to the wild instead of being sentenced to a lifetime in captivity.

Zoocheck is continuing to push for the adoption of policies at every level of government that would provide all orphaned cubs a chance at life in the wild.