The three black bear cubs that were found trapped in a bathroom in Banff National Park earlier this month will soon be heading to a rehabilitation facility in Ontario.
Parks Canada said in a release Thursday the bears will be sent to the Aspen Valley rehabilitation facility, but didn’t currently have details on when or how the bears will be moved.
Since being found by a passerby in the park, the bears have been in the care of Parks Canada, where they’re being cared for at Banff National Park and their exposure to humans is being limited.
Parks Canada said they chose Aspen Valley because it’s “reputable, has sufficient space, expertise, and a track record of success with this sort of situation.”
It’s hoped the bears, which are reported to be healthy, will be returned “back to the mountain park landscape” once they’re rehabilitated, Parks Canada said.
Travis Ripley, the executive director for fish and wildlife police at Alberta Environment, told Global News Tuesday that it’s against Alberta government policy, however, to release rehabilitated bears back into the wild in the province.
WATCH: Parks Canada is investigating after three black bear cubs were found in a Banff National Park restroom, without their mother
“Our policy in Alberta is that we don’t allow the rehabilitation of bears,” Travis Ripley said.
“Habituation” happens when bears are in contact with humans during care and feeding, Ripley said.
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