Human-bear conflict is an ongoing concern in Squamish and beyond, as people encroach on the bruins' habitat, and the bears sometimes react defensively.
We have seen cases of black bears swatting at hikers in the estuary, for example.
However, humans can work together to help their black bear neighbours.
Case in point, in Squamish, recently, neighbours banded together to help a furry friend.
It all started when residents in the Garibaldi Highlands neighbourhood spotted a tiny bear cub out and about in their hood.
It had an injured leg and was on its own—no mother bear in sight—though it didn't seem to be old enough to make it solo.
Over days, residents spotted it and posted their sightings to a Kintyre Drive Facebook page.
As the days went on, the photos grew along with the concern, says Emma Gray, one of the residents.
The bear was spotted on his own over about 10 days.
The Conservation Officer Service was called by many.
The Critter Care Wildlife Society’s Emma Robson came out and set up a trap for the bear with food.
It has been nicknamed Jura, for Jura Crescent, one of the streets where the bear was seen hanging out.
Gray saw him while out walking with her mom and her dog; she was shocked at the male cub’s size, guessing it was not much bigger than her 14-pound pooch.
"When you see the posts on Facebook, you can't really tell the size until you actually see it in person. And it was the tiniest little bear cub. It was so cute. And I was like, 'Oh, my God, this bear cannot be by himself.'"
Dark and early on Monday, a neighbour heard crying in her yard. The cub was finally in the trap and none too happy about it.
The young cub was transferred to the Critter Care centre in Langley.
Robson, the centre’s wildlife supervisor, who sees up all the bear care, told The Squamish Chief the male bear is about eight months old, likely having been born in February.
It is 12.7 kilograms or 28 pounds.
She said the gash on its leg was quite severe, but it has been cleaned, and the cub will be treated with antibiotics for about three weeks.
It will then be moved in with the other bears of a similar size.
According to Robson, it is likely that the bear was hit by a car, resulting in its injury, and that it had been orphaned since early to mid-summer, judging by its stunted growth.
“Our main concern right now is obviously the leg injury and making sure that heals up nicely, but also making sure he gets enough nutrients so his body kickstarts back into growing, which doesn't usually take too long, usually a couple of weeks,” she said.
The centre is currently caring for eight orphaned cubs.
Caring for bears is no easy or cheap task.
There are costs associated with their medical care, such as antibiotics and deworming treatments.
And they eat a lot.
Robson said that the cubs are started on plain white rice and a meal replacement, like Ensure or Boost. (They like the berry flavour, not surprisingly, and aren’t given the chocolate flavour.)
They can consume six per day, which gets costly.
Once they are eating a more regular diet, for protein they are given fish.
For those who want to help, the centre has an Amazon wish list, or folks can donate directly to the centre.
Unity for the cub
So many people came together for the bear, Gray said, which was heartening to see.
"It was really nice to see that everybody was really working together," she said.
She gave credit to many neighbours, in particular a neighbour who hosted the trap and Martine Dubec, who acted like a director of operations during the whole situation, posting updates and making calls.
Gray said the situation brought home how vital locals' support is for the animals and those who care for them, such as the folks at Critter Care.
"I think the main thing is that there are so many bears, obviously, in Squamish, and it’s so important that these bears get the care that they need so that when they get let go into the wild, they're supported. "
She was shocked to learn that caring for a single bear can cost the centre $85 per day and that the little animals need so much special attention.
She hopes sharing the story brings support for the centre, she said.
"I think this is a great lesson and reminder to be bear aware," added Gray. "We are in their habitat, and we need to do better as a community in Squamish to pick our fruit, put away our bins and be vigilant while driving to ensure these bears are not getting into food they shouldn’t be or put in harm's way."
Robson echoed Gray’s statement and added that sometimes bear cubs aren’t orphaned, though seen alone. She stressed that folks who spot a bear on its own should never approach it but call Critter Care, where staff will work with conservation to investigate the situation.
She said more information on Jura will be released on the centre’s social media: critter_care_wildlife on Instagram.
The Squamish Chief reached out to the Conservation Officer Service for comment, but a spokesperson said a comment could not be provided as the election results are still pending.
“As we are still in the provincial election and interregnum period, the government is in a caretaker mode, and all Government of B.C. communications are limited to critical health and public safety information, as well as statutory requirements,” he said.
