Two orphaned black bears returning home to Revelstoke

Two young black bears that became orphans last summer are returning to Revelstoke.

The bears’ mother was hit and killed on Highway 23S near Blanket Creek Provincial Park last June. At the time, Conservation Officers from Invermere came to Revelstoke to help capture the five-month-old orphaned cubs.

The bears, named Jasper and Tinkerbell were sent to Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter in Smithers, which cared for the cubs through summer and winter.

Angelika Langen, manager, said Jasper and Tinkerbell will be returning to Revelstoke this spring. She continued the pair are healthy and hibernated from November to March and will soon shed their winter fur.

“In a few weeks they will be sleek and shinny,” Langen said.

The cubs will be released into an area provided by the provincial government that is away from people and has good access to feeding grounds.

Langen said the bears will be 16 months old at the time of release. Currently, the shelter has 36 cubs to be released sometime this year across the province.

Clover and Chocolate were released into the wild September, 2019. (Photo by Wendy Chambers)

Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter is also affiliated with another sanctuary in Golden which looked after two orphan moose calves last year.

Clover and Chocolate were discovered by staff from Revelstoke Paragliding last June. The calves’ mother had died from a vehicle hit south of Revelstoke along Airport Way.

The pair were carried for in Golden and were released into the wild last September.

“They grew into really beautiful male moose,” said Langen.