Meet Espen and Koda
Espen and Koda are being cared for at the Northern Lights Wildlife Society in Northern British Columbia with support from IFAW. These two bears were found close to Lillooet BC (approximately 3 hours North of Vancouver). The bears were orphaned when a man shot their mother in self-defense
Both bears are very, very wary of their caretakers and tend to run whenever they hear any unusual noises.
Espen is the more daring one of the two. His name translates to "Warrior of the Bear" and suits him perfectly. He is always the first to check things out and defends his finds (especially food) successfully against the much more quiet Koda.
Koda means "Friend" and Koda indeed tries to make friends everywhere. While Espen huffs and puffs, Koda makes friendly little sounds towards the other animals at the shelter and sits by the fence patiently.
If there is something new or different Koda lets Espen check it out, before getting involved himself.
Their favorite foods are grapes and fish.
Espen and Koda have been provided with artificial dens as well as natural denning space to encourage them to hibernate. The bears will hibernate throughout the winter and until early spring. The bears will be released in summer 2009. Their daily movements will be monitored just like Suzy and Johnny.
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Koda, one of two new orphaned grizzly bear cubs at the Northern Lights Wildlife Society. Photo © IFAW/K. Gruys
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Espen is being cared for at the NLWS in British Columbia. Photo © IFAW/K. Gruys
