Four bear cubs were rescued after spending the night in a tree in College Heights after their mother was destroyed by conservation officers on Sept. 25.
Mounties, Prince George Fire Rescue and conservation officers worked together during the morning of Sept. 26 to rescue the cubs.
The cubs were tranquillized and pulled from the tree, and are now currently en route to the Northern Lights Wildlife Society in Smithers to be rehabilitated.
Dave Bakker, president of the Northern Bear Awareness Society, was on the scene of the incident, which occurred on Parent Road (a few blocks away from Southridge Elementary).
He received a call from a concerned neighbour the night before and decided to go in the morning to see what kind of bear attractants were in the area, and arrived on scene during the rescue mission.
“I’ve been doing this for eight years now and it’s the first time I’ve had to witness something like that,” says Bakker.
He says the cubs appeared to be coy or cubs-of-the-year, meaning they were born in January or February and that cubs over a year old are not typically able to be rehabilitated.
Bakker says the incident highlights the importance of the education and outreach work the Northern Bear Awareness Society does in the community.
“I think the biggest failure that occurs is that everybody waits until something happens and its already too late,” says Bakker. "The message that we have been delivering for decades now is that attractant management begins in April and doesn’t end until November and it has to be consistent.”
The Conservation Officer Service receives an average of 600 calls a year, according to Bakker. On average, 35 bears are destroyed every year.
“So this is just one incident that shows we still have to keep doing what we are doing,” he tells PrinceGeorgeMatters, adding many people don’t think about bears until “they are picking up garbage in their yard, or they are having to go out and buy a new bird feeder, or they are wondering why the branches on their apple tree are broken."
