Staff at the Alberta Institute of Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) are celebrating after two orphaned black bear cubs were sent back into the wild.
The first cub, found in Rocky Mountain House back in May, was infected with a parasite that caused her to have hundreds of small seizures during her first few days in care.
The AIWC says with the help of medical staff, she was treated and quickly overcame the illness.
A couple of weeks later, she was joined by the second orphaned cub found in Bragg Creek in June, and the two quickly became companions.
According to the AIWC, the pair became the first occupants of its newly built “Bear Den” enclosure.
Finally, after over 130 days in care and packing on 30 kilograms in weight, the two were both ready to go and were released on Oct. 24.
“These orphaned cubs arrived at our clinic this spring, and were the first occupants of the new Bear Den enclosure! Since then, they’ve grown enormously and were released back into the wild on October 24, 2024, by Alberta Fish & Wildlife services,” the social media post reads.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife confirmed they had denned down for the winter.