Two rescued cubs named Yogi and Boo-Boo Two bear cubs were rescued last week after their den was disturbed by logging operations outside of Prince George, B.C., causing their mother to flee.
Yogi and Boo-Boo are in trouble again. But this time it's not by Ranger Smith.
Two bear cubs were rescued last week after their den was disturbed by logging operations outside of Prince George, B.C., causing their mother to flee. The loggers kept a close eye for several hours but the mother was nowhere to be found, and the cubs – later named Yogi and Boo-Boo – nearly froze to death before they were scooped up.
Soon after, Angelika Langen of the Northern Lights Wildlife Society received a phone call alerting her that the infant bears needed her help – and they were more than four hours away.
"We were out of here within an hour and drove 400 kilometres to pick them up and then turned around and drove 400 kilometres home," she said. "It was a rough trip but we're committed."
At barely two weeks old and approximately two pounds, Yogi and Boo-Boo are recovering at the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter in Smithers, B.C., where they require constant care. Ms. Langen said she spends almost all day with the cubs, feeding them every three hours.
"The first four or five days are always up and down," she said. "The change is a trauma. It affects their whole well-being."
Ms. Langen is no stranger to saving wildlife, and said there have been five or six animal rescues related to logging over the past few years. In 2010, Ms. Langen successfully helped raise and release into the wild two cubs after a slash-and-burn project left them homeless.
But more cubs would be rescued if loggers took greater care to report them, she said. Ms. Langen said she believes that nearly every logger has encountered a cub that potentially needed to be saved.
"My dad used to log and he said it just happens," she said. "You don't know when you're cutting something down if there is a bear and you can't see it until it comes down."
The rescue of Yogi and Boo-Boo also comes in the wake of ongoing controversy between conservationists and loggers in southwestern Alberta, following the arrest of four protesters less than two weeks ago. The protesters say taking down trees in the area will, among other factors, destroy core grizzly bear habitat.
With proper instruction, the impact of logging on wildlife can be minimized, Ms. Langen said. She said the Northern Lights Wildlife Society is trying to educate loggers that saving bears is possible. "We're asking to just give the cubs a chance for survival."
Meanwhile, the path ahead is looking healthy for Yogi and Boo-Boo. The cubs will remain in care for over a year before returning to the wild.
"We are happy they are progressing along but we still hope there are no complications," Ms. Langen said.