Following is an extract from a website update written by Barb Murray at http://bearmatters.com.
History was ‘officially’ made on Weds, May 16, 2007! A North American bear rehabilitor, Leona Green, has successfully raised 4 orphaned grizzly cubs (2 female), taking them from 15-20lbs in July ‘06 to their release weight of well in excess of 100lbs. The bigger size for their age class will give the cub’s a fighting chance with preditory carnivores. The cub’s diet consisted of high protein from donated venison and salmon, grains, veggies and fruit ( including natural berries previously picked and frozen). Leona Green has raised and released two female grizzlies in 1996 but they were not officially counted by the authorities at that time.
Grizzly bear rehabilitation is done in other parts of the world like Russia and Romania but North American authorities have been shy to embrace it for ‘liablity’ reasons ( I believe?). Thanks to some progressive and compassionate Conservation Officers in Northern BC Leona Green was able to help give these four cubs plus two black bears a second chance this year. She has now rehabbed over 100 bears successfully over 30years (not one of the bears have shown up and caused problems).
About Us
- The GBOP team
- The Grizzly Bear Outreach Project (GBOP) provides education and community outreach about Grizzly Bears in the North Cascade Ecosystem (NCE) of Washington State. This includes information about grizzly bear ecology and behavior, sanitation and safety in bear country, and policies associated with the recovery process. The project engages community members in a process of education and rational, multi-party dialogue that targets people living, recreating, and working in the NCE. It provides a non-advocacy setting for residents to make well-informed opinions on grizzly bear recovery, perceptions and attitudes towards bears based upon accurate information. Over the last two hundred years, the number of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) has declined from an estimated 100,000 individuals in the lower 48 to around 1100. The grizzly bear was listed as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1975 and six recovery ecosystems have been established since that time. The North Cascades Ecosystem (NCE) in North Central Washington is the largest grizzly bear recovery ecosystem. Less than 20 grizzly bears currently live in the NCE. photo credit: Chris Weston