NLWS rehabilitates black bears from across the province of BC, except from the Vancouver region and Vancouver Island as they are covered respectively by Critter Care Wildlife Society and North Island Recovery Association.
We often get the argument that there are enough black bears in the province and it is a waste of time and resources to rehab black bears. Everyone at NLWS begs to differ with such opinions.
* Every life has value and deserves to be treated accordingly.
* Human impact on our wildlife species is growing at an alarming rate and what is common today can easily be endangered or gone tomorrow.
* Rewilding bears offers unique study opportunities.
* We have much to learn and the work we do with black bears can greatly aid in the protection and recovery of endangered bear species around the world.
* We share our work as widely as possible, work with Universities and other organization in a bid to answer important questions and aim to educate with each bear we raise and release.
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FAQ
Q: Is it safe to release human raised bears?
A: After 31 years and over 360 bears we simply have to say:"Yes it is"! Bear rehabilitation is happening in many parts of our world with great success. As long as policies and best management practices are followed the bears have no problem to reintegrate into a life in the wild, without becoming nuisance bears.
Q: When fed apples and other fruits and vegetables, doesn't that mean that bears are more likely to go into gardens or orchards?
A: No, bears would identify any fruit or vegetables as a food source weather they had it before or not. The key is to teach bears to stay away from humans, so they don't venture into gardens and orchards
Q: When raised by humans doesn't the bear become used to them?
A: It is a bit more complicated than that. Cubs will become used to their caregiver and that is important to their mental development. The key in rewilding is to minimize contact to two caregivers and make encounters with other humans unpleasant. Just like a mother bear would teach their young that other bears are dangerous to the cubs, we can teach them that other humans are.
Q: Will bears raised by humans know what to eat in the wild?
A: "Yes" bears are opportunistic eaters and will try most everything. Post release studies show that rewilded cubs easily identify natural food sources. Interestingly they seem to have a genetic knowledge of what not to eat.
