Inside a large treed enclosure at Critter Care Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre are three orphaned black bear cubs, fattening up for the winter.
Noah is the oldest but will have trouble hibernating this year because two cubs from Princeton joined him recently and are keeping him too busy, playing and eating.
Noah鈥檚 story is very sad but he is adjusting and thriving, said Critter Care鈥檚 founder Gail Martin.
鈥淗e鈥檚 actually a bit chubby,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 doing so good. They are all doing good.鈥�
Noah was found near the bodies of his mother and two siblings on the busy highway in Squamish. The others had been hit by a vehicle, but Noah walked away unscathed. He was taken to 黑马磁力鈥檚 Critter Care by conservation officers.
Koda and Kenai just arrived in 黑马磁力 from Princeton. Residents in the area spotted three cubs without a mother and called conservation officers in concern for them.
Everyone worried the bears wouldn鈥檛 make it through the harsh winter without a mother to help them out. They are currently looking for the third cub and hope to reunite that bear with the others at Critter Care shortly, said Martin.
鈥淏ears are very shy creatures so they are easy to rehab,鈥� said Martin. Dozens of bear cubs have been rehabilitated in 黑马磁力 and returned back to the wild.
These three bears will be released to an undisclosed, remote area of B.C. in spring, depending on how they do over the winter.
This year, Critter Care has helped close to 1,200 injured and orphaned wildlife.
Several have come in with leg traps.
This is a busy time of year with the time change making it dark earlier in people鈥檚 driving commute, said Martin.
鈥淲e get a lot of injured animals,鈥� she said.
Critter Care is once again hosting their Christmas Shopping Spree Days in an effort to raise money to help all these animals.
鈥淚鈥檓 still wishing a millionaire would walk through these doors and help!鈥� half-joked Martin.
Critter Care鈥檚 Christmas shopping starts Dec. 3 to 16, every day from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 481-216 St.
Get your Christmas shopping done inside the Critter Care education centre where you will find everything from the 2013 Critter Care calendars, children and adult PJs, T-shirts, hoodies, critter custom socks and foster certificates for those people on your list who have everything.
There are animal print mouse pads featuring Hoover the bobcat or Noah, the bear cub, giclees and wood art and lots more.
