Injured bear recovers in Sprucedale, Ont. sanctuary after surviving shoulder gunshot wound

Zeus is a young adult bear that arrived into care on September 26, 2025 from Thunder Bay, Ont. (Bear With Us)

This large bear goes by the name Zeus.

Back in September, Zeus was discovered in the Thunder Bay area with a gunshot wound to his upper shoulder. Today, he is sanctioned at a Sprucedale, Ont. wildlife centre receiving a second chance at life.

On Sept. 26, several Ministry of Natural Resources districts relayed the wild adult bear to Sudbury, where staff at the Bear With Us Centre took him into loving hands.

On Wednesday, Dr. Cox, Tania, and Octavio from the National Wildlife Centre in Caledon stepped in to examine Zeus and conduct some in-depth x-rays.

After a visual inspection, doctors determined that Zeus was suffering from a painful infection cause by his open wound.

Mike Macintosh with the Bear With Us Centre for Bears—Rehabilitation, Education, Sanctuary says the infection and the wound appear to be deep.

With antibiotics and quality food, Macintosh says Zeus should make a full recovery.

Once this adorable guy reaches peak health, he will return back to the wild where his journey once began. Members of the sanctuary anticipates his return before the snow sets in this winter.

Bear With Us began is a nonprofit organization that began its journey with their first-ever bear in April 1992, a big old blind bear from a zoo in eastern Ontario. Since then, volunteers have helped numerous bears of all ages recover and return to the wild.

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