{"id":330405,"date":"2025-12-07T13:54:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T13:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/330405\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T13:54:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T13:54:08","slug":"nova-scotias-first-black-bear-cub-rehabilitation-centre-aims-to-open-in-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/330405\/","title":{"rendered":"Nova Scotia’s first black bear cub rehabilitation centre aims to open in spring"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 3 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

Wildlife rehabilitation group Hope for Wildlife is in the process of getting Nova Scotia’s first black bear cub rehabilitation centre up and running by the spring.<\/p>\n

The 40-hectare enclosure will be located in a remote area of Cape Breton to reduce the possibility of human contact. <\/p>\n

Orphaned black bear cubs will be given shelter and care with the aim of returning them to the wild.<\/p>\n

For Hope Swinimer, the organization’s founder and operator, the project brings her one step closer to a dream she’s had for 20 years.<\/p>\n

\"WomanHope Swinimer said the project brings her one step closer to a dream she’s had for 20 years. (David Laughlin\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Speaking to CBC Radio’s Information Morning Nova Scotia, Swinimer said the centre is part of the organization’s environmental conservation mission.<\/p>\n

“We’ve been striving toward this for a long time and we just couldn’t be happier and genuinely delighted.”<\/p>\n

Swinimer said there was an acute need for this type of facility as the province previously lacked a legal pathway to care for orphaned cubs.<\/p>\n

Recent progress follows years of discussion with the Department of Natural Resources.<\/p>\n

“The reason times are changing and we’re able to move forward slowly … is just a constant back and forth between Hope for Wildlife and DNR,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Lately it’s been in a very respectful way and we seem to be making headway.”<\/p>\n

\"AOrphaned black bear cubs will be given shelter and care with the aim of returning them to the wild. (Hope for Wildlife)<\/p>\n

Swinimer said she believes public conversation around a proposed spring bear hunt helped bring attention to the issue of rehabilitation. <\/p>\n

She said the public became aware that wildlife rehabilitation for black bears is done all over the world and helped her organization build its case.<\/p>\n

According to Swinimer, a key part of Hope for Wildlife’s mission is education.<\/p>\n

The bear program will expand that mandate and help the public learn about coexistence and safety, she said.<\/p>\n

Additionally, she said, caring for the cubs will also provide valuable research data.<\/p>\n

\"ASwinimer said caring for the cubs will also provide valuable research data. (Hope for Wildlife)<\/p>\n

Swinimer said they are expecting a modest number of cubs each year, although environmental changes make predictions difficult.<\/p>\n

She said a primary concern for any wildlife rehabilitation is ensuring the animals do not become habituated to humans.<\/p>\n

She said extensive research has shown that rehabilitated bears don’t behave any differently to those raised in nature.<\/p>\n

” We’ve been trying to do this for a long, long time,” Swinimer said.<\/p>\n

“I don’t have just the file folder on how to rehab black bears. I have pretty well a filing cabinet full of data.”<\/p>\n

She said the cubs’ stay in care will vary and DNR will make the final determination based on each animal’s condition. <\/p>\n

All release decisions, including location, will rest entirely with the provincial department.<\/p>\n

“They will actually be the ones bringing in the cubs to us, and they’ll be the ones picking them up and taking them to their release site,” she said.<\/p>\n

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