Two orphaned cubs, two different stories.
Two orphaned bear cubs grew up together at Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, but were released in separate locations
Submitted photo
Bears do have the tendency to look very much alike, so even if you look closely at these two, you may have to believe me when I tell you that, a few years ago, if you did visit us at the sanctuary, you very likely saw them. It is very unlikely that you will ever see them again unless, by some remarkable coincidence, you happen to be travelling at two different places in distant woodlands far, far from Rosseau. These two cubs had never met each other until they found themselves together in a warm cub enclosure beside a great grey barn and gobbling up not-too-bad food from the same large bowl.
They should have been, each of them, very close to their mother’s soft warm belly sleeping deeply in a far away forest.
What they did share in common – even though they had been born far apart – was the death of their mothers. One had been shot as she was emerging from her hibernation cave. One had been swimming across a small river, her cub close behind her. And a human thought a bear cub would make a good pet – so he shot the mother and managed to capture the cub. However, both cubs had finally been found by human beings who were wise and good enough to care about them – and the cubs were brought to Aspen Valley.
They didn’t have their moms, but they weren’t alone either. Nor had they read any biology book which suggested that they should not be friends.
Tentatively at first, they shared the food – firstly scattered a little around the floor of the enclosure and then gradually presented in a big bowl. There was no reason for competition – they had plenty to eat and could scoop it up as fast as they wanted to. After food came playtime.
Energy which should have been run off trailing through the green woods was now wrestled away with a friend, in deep yellow straw – arms around the shoulders, legs butting bellies, heads rocking and thumping – and finally, exhaustion and sleep. (That was when some human might come by and take a picture!).
Sunset, the long quiet of the night, the stars moving silently across the dark sky, the great moon - and sunrise!
And another day, to begin properly as soon as the big bowl of food was completely demolished!
These bears stayed together for the two years they were at Aspen Valley. Two years is the approximate time that most bears stay with their parent.
After that, some wander off with a sibling – some wander off alone. Because of the laws which humans impose, these cubs had to be returned close to where they had come from so, in the release they were taken to different places, divided by a river – and I rather hope that maybe, just maybe, one of them with a very understandable disregard of human rules, was able to cross a river. We’ll never know.
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(Audrey Tournay is the executive director of Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and a regular contributor to the Beacon Star.)