Hali Beary

 

Like everyday the phone rings non-stop. Every time you think what will this call bring. Each day is a mystery and full of challenges and hard work but when you save an animal from death with a new chance to have a full and natural life it makes everyday a joy. A bear cub was coming. Orphaned and very small for 9 months old she had been crossing a road when she was hit. The couple raced her to the closest vet hoping that they could help her. The front left leg was broken but with time and care it could be fixed. Luckily the veterinarian knew of Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and called to see if we could help. The couple was willing to drive her as far as it took to get her to a safe and capable facility seeing they were told to take her back into the woods and let her die. That was not an option. Knowing she would be arriving soon we raced around preparing a cage making sure she would be comfortable and warm. The vet was able to set the break and applied a splint. But we knew that with a bear that would only last a short time. She arrived still tranquilized with an I.V. still pumping fluids under her skin and her tiny leg wrapped up tight. Once moved into the warm bed of straw we were able to examine her. She had been on her own for a while. Even with a broken leg with out the mother she would not have survived her first winter. She was a lucky bear.

 

At 9 months she weighed 15 pounds. Black bears have the ability to stop growing when food is scarce and what ever they find to eat goes towards survival until they find a food source that will cause their bodies to grow again. The first night was all it took for the splint to be torn off. The next day was Hali’s (named for the place she came from - Haliburton) trip to the Parry Sound Animal Hospital for an X-ray and hard cast. The break was clean and we would have to come back every two weeks for a new cast. Once she started to grow again she would need a new cast that would fit.

 

As tiny as she was we started her out on animal pabulum but it didn’t take long for her hunger to take control. As we weeks rolled by Hali learned to walk on her casted leg. She became a great eater of apples, blueberries, dandelion leaves, and acorns. Black bears are 90% vegetarian but she still needed a bit of dog kibble for protein. In six weeks Hali had received 3 casts. And by the end of September her leg had healed and the cast could stay off. It took a few days for her to put weigh on it but gradually she was normal again. Besides the shaved leg there was no way of knowing she had such an ordeal. By the middle of October she was ready to be moved out into the big pen with the other bear cubs. We had six others by then and the instant Hali entered the 5-acre enclosure she instinctively climbed a tree in fear. She showed no signs of trouble with her new leg and functioned normally and with ease. Hali fit right in with the other cubs – running, chasing, climbing, and napping. But as November rolled in it was time to hibernate. We will see Hali in the spring.

 

Bear cubs stay with the mother until they are 18 months. Once Hali woke up from her winter slumber she would have until June to prepare for her release. It was nice to see the first glimpse of her nose poking cautiously out of her den in April. As the days got warmer the cubs were back to being bears and by June they were ready to leave the Sanctuary and start a life on their own. Hali’s day finally arrived and on June 28th. She was driven 4 hours north to a special spot just for her. The trees were a deep green and the river was cool and refreshing for a hot bear needing a drink after such a long trip. A four hour drive is a long time for such a quick release. It took longer to get her bear barrel out of the truck then it was for her to run into the woods never to be seen again. But seeing her run as fast and perfect was all the thanks we needed. She was a bear again and was free to continue the life she was born for.