After spending nearly a year at the Cochrane Ecological Institute, two young black bears have been reintroduced to the areas where they were found orphaned.
The months-old bears were rescued in the summer of 2018 and transported to the rehabilitation facility. The bear now known as Charlie was found in Crowsnest Pass while Maskwa was spotted near Grand Cache.
"When they arrived they weighed about four, five pounds," said Clio Smeeton, Cochrane Ecological Institute president.
As the bears aged, they were moved to a larger, wooded enclosure, approximately four-and-a-half acres in size. They were monitored by trail cameras and had no interaction with humans.
In the fall of 2018, the province granted the institute permission to keep the bears through the winter and spring to improve their chances of survival upon release. A hibernaculum, constructed out of an insulated steel box, housed the bears throughout their roughly five month hibernation.
On Thursday, the bears were released into the wild after veterinarians confirmed the animals were healthy.
Smeeton says it would have been optimal to return the bears to the wild next winter when they would be two years old but believes the bears are ready.
"If they don't get shot and they don't get run over, they will lead a long and healthy life," said Smeeton. "The risky bit for bears is from when they're born to when they're three. That's the experience they learn and then they survive for ages and live to be really old bears."
The bears have been fitted with radio collars and will be monitored by Alberta Environment and Parks to ensure their return to the wild is successful.
With files from CTV's Terry Vogt
