A Spirit Bear cub named Clover will no doubt become the new main attraction at the BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops.
The very rare Kermode Bear cub was an orphan, and was rehabilitated by the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter this summer before being released near Terrace.
He was fitted with a radio collar to follow his movements and spent three months without any problems or attempts to get close to humans.
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But earlier this month, Clover lost his collar in an area that had unpredictably become a hub of human activity in an otherwise remote release site, when an archaeological dig was conducted there.
Within a week the young bear was in trouble, hanging around the site and not showing any fear whatsoever.
Conservation officers set up a trap and captured Clover, but the cub was not killed as would have been the case under normal circumstances.
Because of his status as a Kermode or Spirit Bear, Clover was instead moved to the BC Wildlife Park in Kamloops.
He is currently in a quarantine holding area, and the Park will now start planning to build him a new habitat. Clover is the only Kermode Bear in captivity anywhere in the world.
Kermode bears are found on coastal islands in BC. The territory with the highest concentration of the white colored bears is on Princess Royal Island. The bear is one of B.C.’s official symbols.
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