Injured baby bear dies despite the kind efforts of Harrop man
By Erin Perkins
The compassionate efforts of a Harrop man sadly didn’t save the life of a little black bear who was struck on Highway 3A last week.
Gary Urquhart and his son were driving home on the North Shore, about three miles from the Big Orange Bridge at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 26 when they saw a three month old black bear cub stumbling along the road in front of them.
Urquhart, a passionate animal lover, didn’t think twice about pulling his vehicle over and jumping out to help the cub.
“I was heading home and the little guy was staggering down the road and I could tell he was hurt so I stopped,” said Urquhart.
There was a rock cliff running alongside the road and Urquhart figures the bear cub may have fallen down it.
He examined the little bear for broken bones and found none. He said there was no blood coming from his nose or mouth, so he hoped there was no internal bleeding.
Urquhart could tell the little bear needed to lie down so he had his son grab a hoodie from the car and then laid the cub down on it while sitting alongside the road.
He glanced around for the bear’s mom but didn’t see her.
“I was more concerned about him than her,” said Urquhart.
The little bear smelled of fish and was “very cute” said Urquhart.
“He was just a wee tiny fellow . . . but his hands were the size of mine.”
Another driver stopped to help Urquhart and he called the Nelson RCMP, who immediately sent someone out.
“Luckily the cop came along when he did because the cub would have been coming home with me,” joked Urquhart, who as a child would bring home wild animals and hide them in his bedroom.
When the police came, Urquhart was concerned about what the officer would do to the bear. Fortunately, the officer also had a soft spot for animals and knew where to go for help — Helen Jameson.
Urquhart hoped the story would have a happy ending for the little bear.
But things didn’t look good when the police cruiser pulled up at Jameson’s acreage in Blewett.
When they arrived, the little bear cub was riding unrestrained in the back of the RCMP police cruiser. Jameson, who has rescued and rehabilitated hundreds of animals including bears over the past 40 years, knew the situation wasn’t promising.
“He was just lying on the backseat,” she said. “At that age he should be running up trees . . . I was just devastated. I just knew when I saw it laying on the back seat it wasn’t good . . .. In the wild (wild animals) need the flight or fight (instinct) and if they haven’t got it, they’re in trouble.”
Jameson figures the mother bear was hit and then the baby bear, which was likely following close behind while crossing the road, was also hit by oncoming traffic. The bear cub likely had extensive internal injuries. She had warm porridge all ready for him when he arrived but he sadly only lasted a few hours.
“God bless her,” said Urquhart of the work Jameson does.
“I took it on because somebody had to do something for the little thing,” she said.
Jameson has helped animals, which have come to her from all over the B.C. Interior. Her rehab work began with smaller animals like squirrels but eventually expanded to include bears and deer. She does the work out of complete compassion.
“It’s very rewarding,” she said. “The whole idea is to let them go and be themselves.”
She’s had many bears over the years. While it’s sad to see them go, she loves to know most of them leave her to continue on with their lives.
Approaching bears not always advisable
While this story may have ended fine for Gary Urquhart, the Bear Aware program would tell you approaching a bear cub could be a dangerous.
For more information about bear safety visit www.bearaware.bc.ca/safety. For the Conservation Office Hotline dial 1-877-952-7277.
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