IFAW and Grizzly Bear Rehabilitation in Canada

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How did IFAW get involved?
How did the Grizzly bear project start?
Do NLWS and IFAW know how to rehabilitate bears?
What is the purpose of the pilot Grizzly bear rehabilitation program?
How are Grizzly bears rehabilitated?
When and where will the bears be released?
How will IFAW monitor the bears?
What are important factors in bear rehabilitation?
Will bear cubs raised by humans develop the skills to survive in the wild?
Where are Grizzly bears found?
Are Grizzly bears endangered?
What threats do Grizzly bears face?
About Grizzly bears

How did IFAW get involved?

IFAW, the Government of British Columbia (Department of Fish and Wildlife) and the Northern Light Wildlife Society (NLWS) formed a unique alliance specifically to rehabilitate orphaned Grizzly bear cubs in the province of British Columbia (BC). This program is a pilot project, which IFAW hopes to develop into a model to rehabilitate grizzlies to the wild. The long-term aim is that all suitable orphaned and injured Grizzly bear cubs in Canada are placed in rehabilitation programs aimed at giving the bears a second chance to return to their natural habitat.
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How did the Grizzly bear project start?
The project started with a bear named Suzy. On June 26th 2007 NLWS received their first orphaned Grizzly bear cub, a young female named Suzy.  Earlier in the spring Suzy was spotted with her mother and a sibling in the Monkman Provincial Park/Tumbler Ridge area. Soon after, Suzy was spotted alone with only her sibling – her mother likely killed by a poacher.  Local conservation officers were able to capture Suzy (although not her sibling) and she arrived at the shelter underweight and frightened, but otherwise healthy. Suzy soon started to gain weight after around-the-clock care by NLWS staff. 
 
Johnny was the second cub to enter the rehabilitation program. On November 11th 2007 NLWS received a report that a young Grizzly was orphaned near Prince George.  A week earlier his mother had been killed by a semi-truck. The next day, after several hours of searching, Angelika Langen, the director of NLWS, found Johnny digging for roots at the side of the road. He was sedated and taken to the center.
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Do NLWS and IFAW know how to rehabilitate bears?

In their 18-year history, the NLWS has rehabilitated and released 107 black bear cubs from their centre.  This will be the first Grizzly bear. 
 
IFAW has been involved with bear rehabilitation in Russia and India and has returned more than 125 bears to the wild in those countries. IFAW also sponsors international workshops on the rehabilitation and release of orphaned bear cubs, bringing together experts from around the world.
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What is the purpose of the pilot Grizzly bear rehabilitation program?

The project has three primary aims:  To rehabilitate orphaned bears and return them to their natural habitat.
To create standards and protocols for Grizzly bear rehabilitation in Canada.  Valuable information about Grizzly behaviour, nutritional needs, medical treatment and facility requirements will be collected so that it can be shared with other wildlife rehabilitators.  
To monitor the bears after they are released into the wild. The data gathered from post-release monitoring will assist in determining what happens to the bears when they are released back to the wild and will answer questions regarding survival rates, possible human/bear conflict situations and their ability to integrate into the existing wild population
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How are Grizzly bears rehabilitated?

Orphaned bear cubs, such as Suzy, are given around-the-clock care when they first arrive at NLWS.  Once the bears are strong enough to eat on their own they are placed in a specially designed enclosure where they can explore their surroundings.  While in care it the bears have very limited interaction and with people but, whenever possible, interact with other bears.
 
Under the British Columbia pilot project all orphaned Grizzly bears deemed suitable for rehabilitation (those without serious injuries that would impact their natural behaviour, such as blindness) are taken to NLWS.  Once in care the animals are fed and protected from predators.  The bears hibernate over the winter at the centre and are then released in the summer.
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When and where will the bears be released?

Suzy and Johnny will be released together at the beginning of summer when natural food sources are plentiful. They will be returned close to the geographical region where they were found, away from human activity.
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How will IFAW monitor the bears?

Suzy and Johnny will be fitted with special satellite collars. The collars record their location every 90 minutes. Researchers can access this information three times a week to track their daily movement patterns. The collars are programmed to drop off in September 2009. The collars do not interfere with the bear’s ability to move around and interact with their natural environment.
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What are important factors in bear rehabilitation?

> Limit the number of caregivers to one or two, with no access for visitors
> Whenever possible raise bears together rather than alone even if that means combining grizzlies and black bears
> Feed the bears as much natural food as possible
> Ensure that there is environmental enrichment in their enclosure (trees to climb, an area to hibernate in, a water pond )
> Choose a good release location (plenty of food, access to water, low density of humans, low density of resident bears)
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Will bear cubs raised by humans develop the skills to survive in the wild?

Bears of any age show strong natural habits, even those who come into care at a very young age (one month or less) quickly demonstrate their natural behaviour.
 
Most bear cubs in British Columbia enter the rehabilitation process at approximately 4-6 months old, having already spent several months learning from their mothers.
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Where are Grizzly bears found?

Grizzly bears once roamed from Alaska to Mexico and were found as far east as Ohio. Today their range has shrunk and Grizzly bears are designated as a species of special concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). The Northwest population, found predominantly in British Columbia, includes all of Canada’s remaining Grizzly bears. Canada’s Prairie population of Grizzly bears was declared extinct in April 1991.
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Are Grizzly bears endangered?

There are an estimated 26,000 Grizzly bears in Canada. The future of several populations (British Columbia, Alberta, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut) is highly uncertain. The Grizzly Bear in Canada is on Appendix II of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and is listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Human activities have also resulted in the geographic or genetic isolation of several Grizzly bear populations — including eight that have been identified in southern British Columbia. Each is small, with fewer than 100 bears, and the rescue potential from neighbouring populations is low to non-existent.
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What threats do Grizzly bears face?

Most Grizzly bears die as a result of human activities. Grizzly populations are hunted in most areas of Canada, and licensed hunters kill more than 450 Grizzly Bears each year. An additional 100 are documented as killed by other human causes, and substantial numbers are killed and not reported. Human activities such as mining, forestry, agriculture, residential development, and recreation degrade the quality of the habitat for bears, and increase their risk of dying. New roads, railroads, and power lines are another particular threat. Roads destroy large amounts of bear habitat and provide easy access for hunters. Back to Top

About Grizzly bears:

Grizzly Bears spend up to seven months of the year inside their dens in hibernation.  They are large animals, and must build sizeable fat reserves to survive the winter.   Bears in poorer quality habitat will range more widely in search of adequate food.  Coastal Grizzly Bears, however, are some of the largest bears with the smallest home ranges, and are able to consume more than 10 kg of salmon per day in the fall.
 
The Grizzly Bear has the anatomy and digestive system of a typical meat eater — and it can be a very effective predator of elk, moose, deer, and caribou.  More often, however, plants make up 80 to 90% of its diet.  Grizzly Bears are quite opportunistic, and will also feed on insects, small mammals, carrion (dead animals), and garbage.
 
The effects of Grizzly Bears on their environment are wide and varied.  They disperse the seeds of berries and plants that they feed on, and scavengers benefit from incompletely consumed salmon where Grizzly Bears feed.  Nitrogen, derived from feeding on salmon, is redistributed on land through the urine and feces of the bears.  Wolves and Grizzly Bears compete with each other for live prey and carcasses, and will steal food from each other.
 
Grizzly Bears live an average of 20 years, although individuals as old as 34 have been recorded.   Female bears have their first young when they are five to seven years old, and typically have litters of one to three cubs.  The young are born during January or February inside the overwintering den.  At birth, the cubs are less than 22 cm long and weigh about 400 g.  They gain weight rapidly and weigh about 8 kg when they emerge in the spring.  The cubs learn many complex behaviours from their mothers, and stay with them for two to four years.  As a result, female bears are only able to reproduce every three or four years.  Grizzly Bears are also difficult to monitor precisely, and assessing the viability of a population is difficult.

Note:  Information for About Grizzly Bears was gathered from the COSEWIC website - www.cosewic.gc.ca