Extreme weather could lead to slower season for Manitoba black bear rescue

Extreme weather has led to a quieter start to the season for Black Bear Rescue Manitoba.

Owner Judy Stearns said the organization brought in its first rescues of the season last week – two male cubs named Oswald and Otto from the Cranberry Portage area and a female cub from Bloodvein First Nation.

“She came in weighing 6.8 pounds, and she had a lot of wood ticks on her, so we're treating her for that,” she said.

“Even so, she's really spunky and healthy and she's doing really good.”

It has been a much later start than is typical for the organization. Previously, the latest date it received cubs was April 25.

Stearns said the slow start is not a surprise. The centre’s biologist predicted a quieter season overall owing to extreme weather last spring. A late spring frost killed many blossoms on berry trees – a vital component of bears’ diets.

Additionally, Manitoba’s dry, humid summer led to forest fires, further challenging bears’ ability to find food.

“What that meant was the females who are pregnant and went into their den pregnant last fall weren't in good enough body condition to sustain their pregnancies. Thus, there were less cubs born in the den in January,” Stearns explained.

The snowy winter also potentially curtailed people from exploring backwoods areas, Stearns said, which prevented bear dens from being disturbed. Additionally, spring flooding likely led to fewer folks heading to the lake or to hike, creating less highway traffic.

“We get a lot of cubs from their moms being hit by cars. So all of these things have kind of added up to less cubs coming into us,” she said.

Stearns said the rescue plans to use the quieter season to catch up on some construction projects.

Additionally, the rescue, a non-profit organization that relies entirely on donations, is hosting a fundraiser called 30 Smiles for $30. Every day in June, the rescue will post a cute bear cub picture to its Facebook page.

“At the end of June, if people thought it was worth $1 a day, we hope that they would consider donating $30 towards the cubs,” Stearns explained.

However, Stearns thinks it's possible things could still pick up. Last year, the rescue rehabilitated 17 cubs in June, setting the stage for a record-setting season with 33 cubs coming through the organization’s doors.

“The cubs could start coming in quite rapidly,” she said.