Bears and pigs and goats, oh my: B.C.’s top animal stories of 2023

After six years working with the Cranbrook and Kimberley RCMP, West the trauma dog will hung up his emotional support vest. He retired to a life of leisure and luxury back in September 2023. (Cranbrook RCMP photo)

An orphaned black bear cub was injured in wildfires in the Shuswap area in August of 2023. BC Conservation Officer Service said the bear was first spotted in the Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw First Nation community near Chase. (BCCOS)

Twin red pandas at the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Aldergrove finally got names in April: Mei Mei and Maple. The names were decided after a month-long contest with tens of thousands of entries. (Greater Vancouver Zoo/Special to The Star)

Petunia the Pig was rescued from a highway rest stop June 15, 2023 by Kerri Hegel of Prince George-based PG Tickled Pig Rescue. Hegel and her family have now decided to keep the pig. (PG Tickled Pig Rescue/Facebook)

Lake Cowichan Tiptons Gas bar on North Shore Road saw an unusual customer on Thanksgiving morning, From a screenshot of security footage a bear was caught on camera around 6:30 a.m., sniffing around the ice cream fridge and candy bar rack for a sweet treat which he eventually left with. (Courtesy of Tiptons)

Camas, a Vancouver Island marmot, was discovered in a backyard in Errington after surviving a daunting – for a marmot – 30-kilometre journey from Green Mountain, southeast of Nanaimo. (Sandra Gray photo)

Charlie, a 22-year-old donkey, has found his forever home at a farm in B.C. after a viral post by BC SPCA back in September. (BC SPCA)

Hundreds of salmon carcasses can be found littering the shoreline of the Puntledge River during the 2023 spawning season. (Olivier Laurin / Comox Valley Record)

Hundreds of winged smaller yellow ants (Lasius claviger) are ready to take of for their nuptial flight. (Photo courtesy of Aaron Fairweather)

Adam Walker is grateful to medical staff at Oceanside Health Centre after he was battered by a large buck’s horns while rescuing his dog from an animal attack. (Facebook photo)

(Photo by Kira Erickson)

A harbour seal has been regularly spotted in the Sumas River since May. (Photo courtesy of Fraser Valley Rowing Club)

Victoria Fire Department uses a special oxygen mask after a pet cat suffers smoke inhalation. The department routinely carries the specialized equipment. (Victoria Fire/Instagram)

A black bear joins fishers at Campbell River during salmon spawning season. Peggy Street said she didn’t even see the bear when she took the photo. It was only after speaking to some of those in the photo that she was made aware there was a bear in the area. (Photo by Peggy Street)

Courtenay woman comes face to face with black bear in Campbell River

A black bear made some friends in Campbell River when it popped a squat next to fishers.

Comox Valley photographer Peggy Street was attempting to get a better shot of a group of people fishing when she walked down a pathway, and met the bear face-to-face.

Pig settles into new home after being rescued from B.C. rest stop

After being rescued from a B.C. highway rest stop in June, a giant pig found a new name and a new home. Petunia the pig quickly settled into her surroundings, taking over the family dog bed and befriending another hog.

Bear tiptoes into Tiptons in Lake Cowichan on Thanksgiving morning

While many folks had turkey on their mind over Thanksgiving, a small bear in Lake Cowichan was craving something a little sweeter as he sauntered into Tiptons Gas Bar on Oct. 9.

After spending nearly 10 minutes in the store, something must have caught his eye, as he ended up deciding on a package of gummy bears, which he took out to the parking lot to enjoy.

Vancouver Island marmot makes marathon journey looking for love

A Vancouver Island marmot is back in custody after hitting the trail, most likely looking for love.

Vancouver Island marmots are few and far between, so it’s no surprise that Camas, a young male originally released last year on Gemini Mountain, southwest of Nanaimo, didn’t hang around long when he discovered his prospects of finding a mate were slim to none.

A vital linchpin: celebrating the life cycle of the B.C. salmon

As hundreds of thousands of salmon make their return for the annual spawning season in B.C., the region gives place to a symphony of life and death.

For some, this event may be a source of excitement, but for the salmon, this marks the culmination of their life journey, as they undertake a perilous final pilgrimage back to the place where their story began a few years ago.

Senior donkey finds forever home at B.C. farm

A 22-year-old donkey found a loving home to take him in last October, one month after a post from the SPCA went viral.

It read: “Are you searching for a wise and gentle soul to add warmth and character to your life? Look no further than Frank, our charming senior donkey seeking a loving forever home. Frank isn’t just any donkey; he’s a seasoned gentleman with a heart of gold and a lifetime of experience.”

B.C. MLA recovering after saving family dog from angry deer attack

Parksville Qualicum MLA Adam Walker grabbed life by the horns in September — or rather by the antlers — when he arrived home to find his dog locked in a struggle with a large deer.

Adrenaline kicked in and Walker grabbed the deer’s antlers and lifted them up so his dog, Pluto, could scurry to safety. But suddenly he was holding onto the 200-pound animal’s antlers and could not break away.

Love is in the air: Flying ants meet to mate in the Comox Valley

If you were in B.C.’s Comox Valley on an evening in late August, you might have observed tens of thousands of winged ants crawling and clumsily flying everywhere across the region.

If you did, consider yourself lucky, because you’ve had the privilege to witness one of nature’s most impressive displays of love: the ephemeral annual nuptial flight of ants.

Cries for help manage to get the goat of B.C. Good Samaritan

A report of someone screaming the day before Halloween sent police to a ravine on an B.C. island off Campbell River.

Quadra Island RCMP heard from a caller reporting they could hear someone yelling “help, help” and they were worried that someone had fallen off a nearby cliff.

Upon investigation, police discovered the cries belonged not to a person, but to a goat.

Seal regularly joining rowers on Abbotsford’s Sumas River

The Fraser Valley Rowing Club has had a unique observer during training sessions on the Sumas River since May – a seal. Club members said it’s the first time they’ve ever seen a seal in the area, which are sometimes spotted on the adjacent Fraser River.

Victoria firefighters save pet cat after house fire with specialized oxygen mask

When Victoria firefighters were called to a structure fire last April, they got the opportunity to put a rarely-needed tool to good use. Discovering a cat inside the burning home, crew members quickly fit a miniature oxygen mask of the creature’s furry face.

The masks come in multiple sizes and can be used to save dogs, guineau pigs, rabbits and birds too.

Animals Breaking News Year in Review 2023