Bear cub Makoon released into wild
Makoon the black bear cub has been released into a remote wilderness area of Manitoba, despite opposition from those who believe the cub should not be released so soon.
Two bears that were being cared for by the Assiniboine Park Zoo were released, the provincial government announced Tuesday. Officials did not say when it happened.
"Wildlife biologists who surveyed the area before the bears were released found a wide variety of plentiful food sources including eggs, fish and berries," the province said in a news release.
"The area is very remote, which will reduce the chances of either bear coming into contact with humans in the future."
Makoon was not named specifically, but the release states that one of the bears was found in the St. Malo, Man., area and is five months old. The other bear is six months old.
"Both bears are in excellent condition, are quite large for their age and have been socialized with each other at the zoo," the news release stated.
Makoon attracted headlines after it was rescued by Rene Dubois in a ditch near St. Malo in March. At the time, Dubois said the male cub appeared malnourished and orphaned.
Dubois and his wife named the cub Makoon, which is Cree for "little bear," and nursed it back to health by feeding it milk and formula from a baby bottle, as well as honey and fruit.
In April, Dubois said he had contacted a conservation official to take the bear, but was told it would be destroyed. So he said he decided to keep it and find another solution.
He had Makoon for nearly two weeks until Manitoba Conservation seized the cub in early April and placed it at Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo, where it is currently being rehabilitated by staff.
Several groups, including the Winnipeg Humane Society, had spoken out in hopes to prevent Makoon's release into the wild, saying the bear would not likely survive.
As well, a petition was delivered to the Manitoba legislature last week with 10,000 signatures of people opposed to the cub being sent into the wild.
A group rallied outside the zoo last week with placards urging the province to send Makoon to a sanctuary or at least wait until he was older.
Humane society CEO Bill McDonald said the ideal age of release would be between 15 and 18 months, when the bear is large enough to defend itself from predators.
Provincial government officials say both bears weighed more than 30 pounds when they were released. But McDonald said Makoon should weigh closer to 150 pounds.
"He's either going to starve to death, which is not going to be pretty — it'll take him 30 to 40 days to starve to death — or he will get attacked and killed by an adult male black bear. That's the typical thing," McDonald told CBC News.
McDonald said he is disappointed that the province did not listen to Manitobans who have raised concerns about Makoon's well-being.
"That's just not good enough to survive in the wild, and I think the province has put this bear in harm's way," he said.
McDonald argued that the province is contravening its own animal care legislation by sending Makoon into the bush before it is ready.
