Orphaned bear cubs rescued after mother killed in Maple Ridge, B.C.

Two orphaned, bear cub siblings were reunited at a wildlife care facility in Langley after being rescued when their mom was shot and killed in Maple Ridge.

Two orphaned bear cubs are getting a second chance after their mom was shot and killed in Maple Ridge last month.

The cubs, only about six months old, are now being cared for at Critter Care Wildlife Society in Langley, where they were recently reunited.

“Brother and sister, they hadn’t seen each other for a long time. It was very, very sweet,” said Luke Williams, a supervisor at Critter Care.

The cubs became orphaned June 12 after the mama bear attacked a 73-year-old woman as she stepped onto her back deck at night, likely startling the bear. The bear was later shot by police.

• Read more: Police kill bear that attacked Maple Ridge woman, search ongoing for orphaned cubs

The cubs took off, and rescue groups spent weeks trying to find them.

“They didn’t really stand a chance being left out in the open. They were susceptible to predators,” explained Krissy Whitlock, executive director of Maple Ridge Black Bear Society.

The society worked with Critter Care and Halo’s Pet Rescue to trap the bears.

“We were getting various calls from all over Maple Ridge about people seeing different bear cubs and we had to try and figure out if they were the right ones or not,” Williams said.

The male cub was found the first week of July. The other, just on Sunday.

“They were a bit skinny and very hungry,” Whitlock said. “When we caught the first one, he was just chowing down on the food we had in the trap for him.”

Both Whitlock and Williams said the public’s help was crucial in finding the cubs.

“(A resident) gave us a tip (the cubs) were eating cherries in a cherry tree right by their house,” said Whitlock.

The bears were later found in a ravine area near a residential street in Maple Ridge.

“We’re just very grateful to the people of Maple Ridge for helping us get these bears into care,” Williams said. “It’s just a nice thing they’re not out there by themselves now.”

The cubs joined four other cubs also being cared for at Critter Care.

“They are still on milk feeds. We have to go in more than we would like to,” Williams said, explaining that the bears should have as little contact with humans as possible.

He said the bears are doing well.

“They’re growing at a rate I can not believe,” Williams said, explaining that the male is now about 35 pounds, or just over 11 kilograms. His sister is about 21 pounds or 9.5 kilograms.

Meanwhile, the public is being asked to be proactive in avoiding bear encounters.

“We’re just hoping that we can get the message out there for everybody to please keep their trash away and close their garages when they’re not using them,” said Whitlock.

“We are continuing to try and educate people in the community to follow the trash bylaws and we’re encouraging the City of Maple Ridge to actually proceed with fines and educate people,” she added.

Critter Care expects the cubs to be released back into the wild next June, as far away from people as possible.

Their time in care is expected to cost the facility about $4,000 each.