The North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre says “Malcolm”, an orphaned bear cub rescued in May near Tofino, has died unexpectedly. File photo.
The North Island Wildlife Recovery Association (NIWRA) said Monday morning an orphaned bear cub rescued near Tofino in May has died unexpectedly by strangling himself while playing.
In a Facebook post, the NIWRA says animal care staff went to check on “Malcolm” and his activities on the morning of his death, saying he was seen on camera playing on large tree stumps provided in his cage.
When they arrived, staff found the cub immobile and discovered Malcolm managed to get his “head and neck tightly ensnared in a small rope handle attached to a plastic buoy that was suspended by a chain from one of the tree stumps.”
The NIWRA says there was no sign of a struggle, suspecting his head went through the loop and was quickly asphyxiated.
The recovery centre in Errington says the suspended buoys are common for bears in its care as they spend lots of time interacting and playing with them.
On Facebook, the NIWRA said the buoy had been in Malcolm’s enclosure since he was first introduced to the facility, adding, “We feel that it represents a very unfortunate accident involving an extremely rare set of circumstances.”
The cub was spotted on an island near Tofino in May trying to suckle from his dead mother.
A whale watching tour operator took the bear from the beach and Malcolm was placed in the recovery centre’s care.
The NIWRA says Malcolm initially had serious emaciation and hypoglycemia but showed good physical and behavioural progress while in care.
The centre sedated the cub Oct. 18 for an examination and he appeared to be healthy and in very good condition.
Officials say Malcolm was moved to a larger pre-release enclosure that day without incident.
The recovery centre had hoped to release Malcolm, estimated to be eight to 12 weeks old when rescued, back into the wild when he was about 18-months-old.
The NIWRA says the staff is “quite upset and shocked by this event” and “will learn from this and be better at what we do.”
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