Valkyrie, the black bear cub found with severe burns in December, is improving
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A black bear cub rescued after suffering severe burns last December will finally be introduced to other bears at the sanctuary where he is recovering in Smithers, B.C.
Rescuers said the bear was burned while hibernating in a slash pile near Dawson Creek, B.C., with severe burns to its legs, face and back.
The Northern Lights Wildlife Society was alerted to the bear cub and dispatched to take it into its care on December 20.
Now, society manager and co-founder Angelica Langen says the bear – named Valkyrie – has settled down, but her treatment will last for several more weeks.
radio west8:15Update on the black bear cub badly burned near Dawson Creek last month
The young bear was hibernating in a slash pile when it was set on fire. Angelica Langan, co-founder of the Northern Lights Wildlife Society in Smithers, says she hopes to release the cub back into the wild this summer.
Although its face is healing well, the cub’s paws will take some time to heal, he said – they have had cream applied to them to promote healing and prevent infection.
“We’re really happy with his progress. We finally found a way to keep bandages on him with the help of some duct tape, and it really helps the healing process,” Langan told CBC. radio west,
Valkyrie is last year’s cub, born in January or February 2025, Langan said.
He will be gradually introduced to the other bears in their care and could be released back into the wild in June.
Langan says the bear was initially spotted hiding on a road in the Dawson Creek area, and the society was alerted because the cub was in bad shape.
“We thought the animal was just hypothermic,” he said. “And we didn’t know there were other issues.”
“When we did the first intake test it became clear that, in fact, it was burned.”
After warming the cub in a box, volunteers transported Valkyrie to Prince George and then to Smithers, a journey of nine hours in total.
Langan said it is common for hibernating bears to make dens within piles of man-made plant debris that workers intend to burn. He suspects that Valkyrie had made a den in the slash pile, which was then set on fire by someone, not knowing that a bear was hidden inside.
Langan said the bear then faced extreme cold, with temperatures falling from -24 degrees Celsius to -34 degrees Celsius the night after Valkyrie was rescued.
“She was really lucky to be found, because she would not have survived,” Langan said.
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