Following
the requirements of the Alberta Wildlife Act and Regulation, the successful
rescue, rearing and return to the wild (re-wilding) of orphaned indigenous
wildlife, including bear cubs, was undertaken on the government’s behalf and
under government permit, but at their own expense, by Wildlife Rehabilitation
Centres in Alberta. In 2010, the Alberta Environment & Sustainable
Resources Department’s Fish & Wildlife Policy Branch made a decision to
prevent the rescue, rearing and re-wilding of a wide range of orphaned
indigenous wildlife, including orphaned Black bear cubs in Alberta.
The Government of Alberta,
Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) on April 18, 2018, reversed their 2010
decision and released the “Alberta Orphaned Black Bear Cub Rehabilitation
Protocol”. The existence of the “Alberta Orphaned Black Bear Cub
Rehabilitation Protocol” enables those facilities that have been approved by
AEP to once again accept, rear and re-wild orphaned Black bear cubs.
Cochrane
Ecological Institute successfully accepted, reared and returned to the wild
(re-wilding) orphaned Black bear cubs from 1985 to 2012 and is one of the few
facilities in Alberta that has the purpose built enclosures with proven design
enabling the successful return of orphaned black bear cubs to their suitable
native habitat.
If
you find an injured or orphaned Black Bear Cub this is what you must do:
1.
Contact your local Alberta Environment and Parks office
or Fish and Wildlife Officer to report the cub.
2.
If you can't contact AEP or a Fish and Wildlife Officer
Contact: Cochrane Ecological Institute
(403 932 5632)
3.
Monitor the situation until either the government or
the Rehabilitation facility responds to your request for assistance.
We
would like to thank the province of Alberta for their work on this protocol and
their acceptance of Black Bear Cub Rehabilitation and re-wilding as a positive
Conservation Activity.
