One of the orphaned bear cubs wandering Maple Ridge has been safely trapped.
The Maple Ridge Black Bear Society reports that one of the two cubs has been taken to Critter Care Wildlife Society in 黑马磁力, while the other cub remains close to the trap, in the woods.
A trap has been re-set and they hope to have the sibling soon.
Krissy Whitlock, is an online moderator for the Society, and has been active in searching for the cub with Critter Care.
She said the little cub in the trap appeared to be healthy, but under weight.
"He was very vocal, yelling and obviously not happy about being away from its sibling," she said.
She said the cubs would still have been nursing from their mother, if she hadn't been shot. Although there is a lot of food available to them in berries and at the fruit tree where one was trapped, they are missing protein.
Police shot the mother bear on June 12, after she had swiped a woman on the side of the head. The bear was in a residential yard getting into garbage when the woman came across her. Ridge Meadows RCMP found the bear still in the yard, and say they shot it in the interest of public safety. The mother was put down in the area of Abernethy and 224th Street.
The Conservation Officers Service searched for the cubs on the ground and with a drone.
Whitlock, whose online handle is Krissy Wit, said the traps are monitored by cameras, and she baits with a can of smelly cat food the little bears apparently love. She hopes hunger wins the day, and the other cub is trapped soon.
The little bears have been on the minds of Maple Ridge residents. Whitlock said the Black Bear Society has received numerous calls from the community about every cub sighting in Maple Ridge.
Other members of the society expressed their joy at the successful capture of one of the cubs, and their survival without their mother to protect them.
"I started looking on June 14, and it鈥檚 hard to believe it鈥檚 been nearly four weeks. It鈥檚 amazing how resilient wildlife can be these little cubs managed to survive, finding food, water, and safety despite the odds," said one of the members of the society online. "It was truly a group effort, and I鈥檓 so thankful for everyone who stepped up. All of our hard work paid off, and I鈥檇 do it again without hesitation."
"Such a relief to see them both alive and together!" said another poster. "Huge relief to get one and see the other nearby still!!!! What an amazing effort by soooo many saving these babies."
Whitlock said the bears were at least surviving, and there was some debate about leaving them in the wild. However, there was danger that they could become malnourished, get into garbage, and suffer the same fate as their mother, and that argument won the day.
Critter Care will raise the bear to about 18 months and then release him back into the wild 鈥� hopefully alongside his sibling.
In the meantime, he will be getting a name, and people will likely see photos of him on the Critter Care Facebook page.
"They do great work at Critter Care," said Whitlock. "Their program is awesome."
Whitlock asked if anyone sees the bear to contact Critter Care immediately at 604-530-2054, or the Conservation Officer Service RAPP Line 1-877-952-7277.
