Sprucedale, Ont. man takes top honours as ‘Wildlife Rehabber of the Year’

Mike McIntosh of Bear With Us Sanctuary and Rehabilitation Centre for Bears is pictured in this image.

When a black bear cub loses its mother or an adult is pulled from danger, there’s a well-known name people across Ontario trust to step in.

This year’s ‘Wildlife Rehabber of the Year’ title has been awarded to a man who has become almost synonymous with black bear rescues across the province: Mike McIntosh of Bear With Us Sanctuary and Rehabilitation Centre in Sprucedale, Ont.

According to Ontario Wildlife Rescue, the Wildlife Rehabbers Hall of Fame, established in 2017, gives two special awards each year to a wildlife rehabber who has made a difference.

Ontario Wildlife Rescue works with more than 50 rescue centers and rehabilitators across the province. The team says the award shines a spotlight on a lifetime of work that has helped shape how people respond to injured, orphaned, and at-risk bears.

McIntosh is being celebrated for routinely caring for up to 100 bears at a time, working hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Bear Wise program to handle some of the province’s most complex wildlife cases.

Mike McIntosh’s journey

His journey began back in 1992, when he founded Bear With Us with support from local wildlife advocates and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. McIntosh says the first bear in his care was a big, old, blind bear from a zoo in eastern Ontario.

This bear named Mishoomish remained at the centre until his passing.

McIntosh says he became fascinated by “perceived” dangerous bears and our misunderstanding of these species. Since then, he has made it his mission to care for more than 700 of them.

Most animals have rehabilitated and successfully returned to the wild, while a small number cannot survive on their own and remain in permanent care at the sanctuary.

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