Bear sanctuary cares for 13 orphaned cubs

The Bear With Us Centre for Bears just east of Parry Sound is currently caring for 30 bears, 13 of those are orphaned cubs.

“Of the 13, 11 of them we know lost their mother due to a vehicle hit, and that is an unusually high percentage-wise, but this year, that’s what it is. The other two, they just showed up, so whether their mother was shot or we can’t be sure,” Mike McIntosh with Bear With Us Centre for Bears.

Orphaned cubs eating at The Bear With Us Centre for Bears in Parry Sound Ont. (Courtesy: The Bear With Us Centre)

One of those 13 cubs is from the Parry Sound area. He was hit by a car on Highway 124.

“Someone behind the vehicle that hit the cub saw what happened, and this person stopped and cradled the cub and called the police - Parry Sound OPP, and they suggested that person call me, and that lady met me partway with the cub lying on her lap, totally unconscious,” said McIntosh.

The cub suffered a severe concussion and additional head trauma but has since recovered and is doing well.

Another bear, who was given the name ‘Thor,’ was shot by an arrow in his and was later caught in a trap.

Thor being cared for at The Bear With Us Centre for Bears in Parry Sound Ont. (Courtesy: The Bear With Us Centre)

“There was no muscle, no fat left on his body, almost starved to death. We presume that’s because he has spent the whole winter instead of sleeping. He was awake due to severe pain of being shot by an arrow in his hip. Surgically, we couldn’t remove it because there’s so much bone around it. The poor guy came out this spring way too thin and then lost part of his foot,” said McIntosh.

With the help of the MNRF and the National Wildlife Centre located in Caledon, Thor has recovered and has been released back into the wild.

Thor being released back into the wild by The Bear With Us Centre for Bears in Parry Sound Ont. (Courtesy: The Bear With Us Centre)

“The big part of our message is to help people be aware that these animals aren’t typically dangerous, there’s no need to fear them, they’re large enough they can hurt somebody, but it’s always normally in self-defense,” said McIntosh.

Bear With Us has been operating for 30 years and survives entirely on public donations.

Orphaned cubs eating at The Bear With Us Centre for Bears in Parry Sound Ont. (Courtesy: The Bear With Us Centre)

McIntosh said for people that do come across an injured bear, you can contact the 24/7 bear reporting line at 1-866-514-2327.