Thanks to the generosity of Maritimers, Cape Breton’s beloved Little Bear moved into his new enclosure at the Two Rivers Wildlife Park on Sunday.
Roland Doncaster, the board chair at Two Rivers Wildlife Park, says while Little Bear is living in the lap of luxury in his new place, it’s also similar to what a bear in the wild would experience.
"It has a pool. It has a shaded area. Bigger enclosures have lots of trees,” he says. “It would be very much what a bear would encounter in the wild.”
Little Bear was just a few weeks old when he first arrived at the park in poor health after being found on a highway near Whycocomagh, N.S.
After six months of fundraising, Maritimers came up with $40,000 to ensure Little Bear could get his permanent enclosure.
“Little animals tug at the heartstrings because all of a sudden their wallets opened, whether it be fundraisers, schools, classes gathering money. It was just absolutely incredible,” says Doncaster.
It’s not over yet for Little Bear’s story as he has a new milestone coming up. A four-month-old black bear named Natalie, who was rescued under similar circumstances, will soon move into the enclosure. Park officials hope the two bears will develop a friendship.
"We're going to bring Natalie up to this enclosure, Little Bear’s first enclosure. And they will be separated by an enclosure until they start to acclimatize,” Doncaster says. “Then gradually, we'll start to introduce them to each other."
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald
