Castor and Lyra had a close call, but the bear cub siblings are now being raised at Critter Care Wildlife in Langley, and are scheduled be released back into the wild this summer.
Maple Ridge’s nature lovers anxiously watched a tragic story play out online and in the media, as a mother bear was killed, and her cubs were left orphaned near downtown.
On June 12, the Ridge Meadows RCMP were called to a bear attack at a residence near Abernethy Way and 224th Street.
A bear had been going through garbage, and when a woman came upon it, the bear took a swipe at her, hitting her on the side of the head.
Police officers arrived, found the bear still in the yard, and shot the animal in the interest of public safety.
Soon after, they realized that it was a mother with two cubs nearby.
The bears were left running loose with no mother. The dangers they faced included everything from being killed by a male black bear, to being hit by a car.
Worried residents reported sightings in social media, and posted security cam videos of the fuzzy fugitives on Facebook.
Thanks to the efforts of volunteers with the Maple Ridge Black Bear Society, BC Conservation Officers Service with their drones, and others, the bears were both captured about a week apart – about a month after they had been orphaned.
They were both take to Critter Care, which plans to raise the bears to approximately 18 months, before releasing them back into the wild.
“They do amazing work helping animals and are really the only and last resort for our little bear cubs,” noted Chrissy Whitlock, of the Maple Ridge Black Bear Society.
The male bear cub has been named Castor, and the female is Lyra.
Whitlock checked on the bears recently.
“The bears are doing really well, fattening up, and they (Critter Care) are hoping they’ll have a little sleep, and be released in the spring,” she said.
Critter Care is located in Campbell Valley Regional Park in South Langley, and is a non-profit that runs on volunteer labour and donations. For information, people can visit: www.crittercarewildlife.org.