Elusive bear cub caught attempting Canada-U.S. border crossing in northern B.C.
Officers at the Canada-U.S. Border between Stewart, B.C. and Hyder, Alaska had cause to paws last Monday, as an unusual visitor was caught attempting to cross into the United States.
According to a social media post from the Canada Border Service Agency, a small female black bear cub "sought entry for essential reasons, but had no travel documents."
Those "reasons" are believed to be natural food and berries, according to Angelika Langen with the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter, which has been tracking the bear for more than a month.
The bear weighed around 21 pounds when it was captured, according to the wildlife shelter. It said a healthy weight for this bear to hibernate is at least 50 pounds. (CBSA)
"She kept eluding us ... one day we got the call and she's at the border and trying to get in there," said Langen, who immediately dispatched a volunteer to trap the bear.
"She was in the trap within minutes," said Langen. "She was so hungry, she thought that was just a great place to go."
The female cub was trapped and taken to a wildlife shelter for nourishment and care for the winter. (CBSA)
Langen says they are going to be taking care of the cub for the winter as she does not weigh enough to survive the season through hibernation. She also added it's been a busy year for her shelter, which she co-founded.
"Currently, we have 33 black bears and three grizzly bears in care," she said.
The Canada-U.S. border has been closed to non-essential travel for over seven months.
This article was written for the CBC.
