Second orphaned bear cub brought to Atlantic Wildlife Institute

Two orphaned bear cubs have been brought to the Atlantic Wildlife Institute this season. But the second one is a bit of a mystery.

"She was running frantically across the highway just outside the city limits of Fredericton," said Pam Novak of the AWI.

The cub was in a state of fright, trying to find its mother or cover from oncoming traffic. The people who found the cub searched for the mother but had no luck and turned the bear over to the AWI the next day.

Novak calls it an "odd area" for a bear. AWI contacted the Department of Natural Resources to inquire if any bears had been huntedin the area during the spring, or if there were any reports of roadkill, but no clues were found.

The bear likely used up a lot of energy in a "stressed" state, she said.

Settling in with a new neighbour

The cub is getting some quality bear time with another orphaned cub that was brought to the AWI earlier this month.

"She's got quite the look to her and she's got quite the attitude to her as well. She takes on the big guy who's about twice the size and she puts him in his place."

Novak explained that too much human interaction is bad for the bears as they are prepared for release. It's a positive to see the bears interacting, staking out their territory, and even throwing their food bowls at each other.

"These guys are long-term commitments. We keep them for 14 to18 months because they have to go through their first cycle of hibernation."

Novak hopes both cubs will beable to self-feed soon and store up enough "body resources" to make it through hibernation.