Orphaned black bear cub checked in at Squamish hotel, melted hearts

A bedraggled bear cubis melting the hearts ofhotel staff in Squamish.

The thin male black bearshowed up in October, and they took care of him until conservation officers could transfer himto Critter Care Wildlife Society in Langley which hasseen record numbers of bears in need.

When he showed up at the Executive Suites Hotel and Resort he weighed approximately15 pounds or 6.8 kilograms.

• Orphaned black bear cubsponsored by Squamish hotel staff

Hotel staff saidhe was hungry buthardly threatening, and they said he was probably orphaned.

"We learned that mama bear had been killed by a car on the Sea-to-Sky Highway. This cub had been left as an orphan,"Jared Sissons, general manager at the hotel told CBC earlier in November.

His staff grew fond of the spindly bear and took on the cost of rehabilitating the animal.

26 distressed bears in 2015

"This year is like an unprecedentedyear for bear cubs," said Angela Fontana of Critter Care, who said they have admitted 26 bears in 2015 alone.

She blames poorberry crops and forest fires fordriving upnumbers of orphaned and distressed bears.

The hotel staff that adoptedthis bear are having fundraisers to keep sending Critter Carethe $250 a month needed for the cub'scare.