Summary
Rehabilitation and release of bear cubs - a viable option for many cubs
- Rehabilitation and release programs originally were established as an alternative to euthanizing orphaned cubs or maintaining them in captivity for the remainder of their natural lives.
- Bear cubs are orphaned due to a variety of causes. Some of the more common reasons include commercial land use activities, regulated and non-regulated hunting, weather events, road/train accidents, abandonment as a result of food shortages, and nuisance situations.
- Four options most frequently considered by wildlife officials to address orphaned cubs are:
1. to leave the cubs in the wild to fend for themselves;
2. to capture them and place them permanently in a zoo or research facility;
3. to capture them and place them temporarily in a rehabilitation facility;
4. to euthanize them.
- However, every bear has its own personality (much like people), so decisions regarding the suitability of a cub for rehabilitation are probably best delayed until the bear is ready for release.
Rehabilitation facilities
- Larger enclosures containing natural vegetation and habitat enrichment may decrease the probability that bears will develop stereotypic behaviors and increase bears' chances of successfully adapting to life in the wild.
- Bears to be released into winter dens should be provided with denning structures in the enclosure that permit easy access by the release team, so the animals can be tranquilized with minimal disturbance before they are transported to the release site.
- During a bear's hibernation period, it is important to minimize disturbance around its enclosure.
Caring for bear cubs during rehabilitation
- Cubs do not need to learn survival skills from their mother (or their human caretakers). Therefore, cubs should be exposed to minimal contact with humans during the rehabilitation process.
- Allowing cubs to socialize with other cubs may be the single most important factor in reducing the level of habituation of cubs raised in captivity. Minimizing contact between a cub and its caretakers, post-weaning, appears to be an important consideration when raising single cubs.
- Minimizing the number of caretakers and limiting their feeding and care interactions with the bears appears to be very important in creating and maintaining the bears' avoidance behavior for people other than their caretaker.
- Research has shown that a formula composed of 24% fat, 12% protein, and very few carbohydrates simulates the caloric quality of bear milk and results in faster growth rates than a diet high in carbohydrates.
Releasing rehabilitated bear cubs-the technique
- The first consideration in choosing a release site is its habitat: whether the potential site is within the species' historic range, is currently good bear habitat and is large enough to support a bear population.
- Observations suggest that bears should be released in areas (and at times of the year) where it is unlikely the bears will encounter people during the first two weeks after their release.
- It is advisable to avoid releasing orphaned bears during active hunting seasons for bears or other large mammals.
- It is imperative that bear releases occur in areas with adequate natural food resources and that the release team is aware of potential attractants in the area that could result in high mortality rates from human-bear conflicts. Steps should be taken to avoid releasing bears where there is a high probability they will become involved in conflict situations.
The release of rehabilitated bear cubs-other important considerations
- The issue of genetic "pollution" is not a relevant factor for releases if the orphaned cub's provenance (capture location) is known and the proposed release location is within the geographical range of the orphaned cub. In situations where the cub's provenance is unknown, genetic testing of the cub and the recipient bear population is the only safe, ethical approach for releasing the cub.
- The risk of introducing either disease or parasites into wild populations is unacceptable. All bears must be thoroughly examined and tested for disease exposure and parasitic infestation by a licensed veterinarian prior to release.
- The ability to construct or use natural cavities for denning appears to be an innate behavior common to bears, regardless of their age when they enter a rehabilitation facility. This suggests that providing them with natural or artificial dens may be unnecessary in some instances. However, bears released in areas where the ground is frozen would benefit from being placed in a den at the time of release.
- In advance of releasing bears from a rehabilitation facility, it is advisable to develop an intervention plan that addresses any conflicts that may develop if a released bear becomes involved in a nuisance situation or acts aggressively towards people.
- Releasing orphaned bears back to the wild has the potential to create a great deal of controversy in nearby communities unless public relations efforts are planned and carried out prior to the release.
- To better understand the dynamics between successful and failed release efforts, rehabilitators need to cooperate more in documenting methods of raising and releasing bears and monitoring their fates after release.
