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Critter Care Spring Newsletter

Animal Stories

Lions Bay Cub Rescue
In December 2022 we had a lot of phone calls regarding the safety and well being of an orphaned cub in the Lions Bay area. It was seen by residents for over a month. It was described as underweight, very thin and wandering around looking for something.

No Mother to den with

Normally this time of year Black Bears are going into hibernation, however, this cub did not have a mother to den with and was also underweight and wouldn’t have survived if he went to sleep. Black Bear cubs hibernate with their mother for the first year.

Permission to Rescue

This cub’s mother was never seen and it’s unknown what happened to her. On December 6th we received permission to rescue this cub and bring it back to our facility. The cub was stopped that morning and Critter Care staff went to investigate. Once there they had briefly spotted the cub before he went out of sight. The cub clearly was very thin. Critter Care staff set 2 live traps in hopes of catching the cub. Lions Bay community were very helpful in monitoring the bear’s whereabouts and informed Critter Care.

On the 7th of December we received a call that the trap had been triggered and the little cub was captured. Critter Care staff drove straight to the scene and got the bear back to Critter Care. Once there, we weighed the bear and he was only 20kg. For this time of year and the size of the cub it was far too thin. The next day he was taken to our local veterinarian for a full examination.

In Much Better Condition

He was brought back to Critter Care and was put on an emaciated diet and has since put on lots of weight and his body condition is much better. This black bear will stay with us until the summer of 2023. Thank you to the Lions Bay community for all your help.

The Raccoon Houdini

As most know, raccoons can be exceedingly cunning and clever when faced with obstacles, but

one raccoon Critter Care Wildlife Society received in January 2023 took this stereotype to a whole new level.

As part of a routine check-up, one of our staff was transporting a raccoon named “Number One”, as he was the center’s first raccoon of the year, to the veterinary office. He was placed in a kennel with comfortable blankets and a sheet overtop to ensure he would not become stressed during the journey.

All was well and running smoothly until our staff member checked her rearview mirror as she was about to arrive at the vet and saw Number One out of his kennel and running around in the bed of the truck! Somehow, he had unlatched his kennel slyly in the middle of the journey. Members of the public looked on in bewilderment as our staff drove slowly around the corner to the veterinarian. The canopy of the truck kept Number One inside until our staff could park safely at the vet.

Tucker’s Winter Update

Tucker is Doing Well

Our resident bobcat, Tucker, is doing well and is very cheerful and bright, especially with all the snow we have been getting! He has been enjoying the Canadian winter and making the most of our massive snowfall. Despite being hesitant to leave his warm and cozy den box where he loves to cuddle up and sleep, he realized how much fun the snow could be and couldn’t get enough of it. He enjoyed jumping into the large piles of snow that had built up in his enclosure and chasing and catching snowballs. Ultimately, he is a regular cat at heart and his favourite thing to play in is a cardboard box, regardless of the many toys he is spoiled with being fully available to him.

Tucker Tries To Help

Tucker often tries to “help” his caregivers with shovelling the snow by jumping up and playing with their snow shovels while they try to get work done in his enclosure. His caregivers were also easily able to trace him to his favourite playing spots, and to his favourite hide ‘n pounce spots, due to perfect pawprints left in the snow, like a bobcat breadcrumb trail.

Looking Forward to Next Winter

As the spring sun begins to melt the winter snow, Tucker and his caregivers look forward to next winter, and hope it will be just as much fun for our beautiful big cat as it was this year.

Helping Hands

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