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Montana’s Orphan Bears Find Sanctuary in an Unlikely Place

By Beacon Staff

Earlier this month, Montana game wardens found a dead female grizzly bear that was illegally shot northeast of Ovando on the southern doorstep of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.

The discovery was devastating, not only because it marked the death of an endangered species, but also since the sow had three cubs.

Wildlife officials were able to catch two of the orphaned bears, but the third escaped into the backcountry where its chance of surviving through winter is grim.

“When they are orphaned as cubs, their probability of survival is miniscule,” said Chris Servheen, a grizzly expert based in Missoula with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services.

While an investigation began into the killing, including an increasing incentive of a $7,600 reward, Servheen and others quickly rallied together and sought sanctuary for the surviving cubs.

Finding an adequate long-term refuge for grizzlies can prove difficult. Montana has a wildlife rehabilitation center near Helena that serves as a hospital and refuge for orphaned and injured animals, but it can only provide temporary assistance.

Zoos are typically the best option, but few across the country have sufficient space to house another large animal like a grizzly that can live for upwards of 30 years.

The other alternatives paint a bleak picture, according to Servheen.

A cub or yearling left alone in the wild will almost certainly starve or be eaten by another animal, he said.

But bears that are captured and kept in captivity, even briefly, become food conditioned and unafraid of humans. At that point, even after they are released back into the wild, the animal will perpetually gravitate toward people, according to Servheen.

“It would be dangerous,” he said.

It was at this dire crossroads that a rare lifeline emerged for the two recent cubs.

On the other side of the country, in the metropolitan jungle of New York City, the Bronx Zoo opened its doors and offered to take in Montana’s orphaned grizzlies.

The two cubs that are moving to the Big Apple are not the first to relocate from Montana, but Servheen said they are the first in quite some time.

“We don’t have a lot of opportunities to do this,” he said.

Servheen expressed remorse over the bears being taken out of their natural habitat, but he described the adoption by the Bronx Zoo as the best possible solution to a bad situation.

“We don’t like to have to do that, but we also don’t like these bears to be orphaned like that,” he said. “Given the situations that happen, we just respond accordingly so we can do what’s best for these animals.”

The Bronx Zoo may seem like an unlikely destination, and an unfortunate one considering its placement in the heart of America’s biggest city, a stark contrast to the grizzlies’ natural home in the Montana wilderness.

But when it comes to sheltering the world’s endangered wildlife, the Bronx Zoo stands alone as a revered, world-class institution.

Founded 114 years ago, the Bronx Zoo is the largest metropolitan zoo on the planet. Its 365 acres is home to more than 6,000 animals representing more than 600 species, including some of the most rare and iconic. Every year, roughly 2.15 million people visit the zoo and its popular exhibits, including a giant indoor rainforest, the Himalayan highlands, the Congo gorilla forest and the “world of reptiles.”

The zoo is the flagship institution of the Wildlife Conservation Society, one of the largest conservation organizations in the world that spearheads projects, research and education programs centered on saving wildlife and wild places.

Servheen visited the Bronx Zoo almost 15 years ago. He remembers it being big and elaborate, far from the typical notion of a caged shelter.

In the Bronx, the grizzlies exist in a specific area that feels like a naturalized habitat, with swimming facilities and shelter. As a way to mentally stimulate the bears, zoo workers will regularly present challenges for the animals to overcome, like burying food inside a pumpkin or freezing blocks of ice with a chunk of steak inside.

But aside from being a good sanctuary, the zoo plays a key role as an educational tool, Servheen said.

“Zoos are the primary place where most Americans get their information about wildlife,” he said.

At the Bronx Zoo, each of the animal’s habitats is accompanied by informational presentations and displays about the animals’ natural environment, challenges for survival and unique characteristics.

“It’s educational for all those people that maybe don’t get to see a grizzly bear or know anything about grizzlies,” he said. “They can walk away with information about bear conservation and what they can do to help.”