ENN Twitter
Idaho Black Bear Rehab, Inc. Celebrates 20 Years of Successful Rehabilitation and Release of Black Bears; Photo Op of Cubs Being Readied for Release
What:
Where/When:
Please make plans to join us for this special event.
* Because of the nature of working with wildlife, time is subject to change. Please contact Valerie at 208-859-0648 to confirm.
Background Information on IBBR follows:
Idaho Black Bear Rehab, Inc. is celebrating 20 years of successful rehabilitation and release of black bears and looking forward to year 21!
Founded in 1989 by Sally Maughan, IBBR, a non-profit Idaho corporation, has provided direct care for over 200 orphaned and injured bears; over 96% of those bears being released back into the wild.
In 1989, very few states were involved with bear cub rehabilitation, and fewer still had programs designed to prepare bears for life in the wild. By working closely with state, national, and world-wide bear experts, Maughan has developed an amazingly successful rehabilitation program. Maughan keeps the bears in secure outdoor enclosures on her own property and does the bulk of all the cleaning and hands-on care herself and with two, trained assistants. Careful observation allows her to identify and respond appropriately to the different developmental stages that the cubs experience.
Over 67% of the bears entering the rehabilitation program of IBBR have been Idaho bears. Maughan's pioneering methods have prompted wildlife departments from states that lack their own rehab programs to send their orphaned cubs to IBBR. IBBR has been providing rehabilitation services for bears from seven (7) other states. These various state fish & wildlife agencies have brought bears to IBBR since 1992 because of the lack of suitable facilities and rehabilitators in their own states, and because of the international reputation for success that IBBR has built over the last 20 years. Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Oregon, California - all have looked to IBBR for assistance with the rehabilitation and release (back in their own state) of black bears.
The rehabilitation program of IBBR has also been noted by scientists from the Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding in China who cite the IBBR program as a potential model in efforts to return Giant Pandas bred in captivity to the wild. Scientists from Korea visited IBBR in 2009 hoping to gain additional information that will help them restore their own threatened bear populations.
World Society for the Protection of Animals has been a major supporter of IBBR's rehabilitation and release program. According to an online release of WSPA, "A three-year joint study by WSPA and Idaho Black Bear Rehabilitation (IBBR) gives solid proof that orphaned bear cubs raised in captivity can develop into wild animals capable of surviving on their own...The study concludes that the key elements for a successful reintroduction into the wild appear to be: Opportunity to socialize with other bear cubs during early development in rehabilitation; Adequate high quality habitat in release area; and Minimal contact with humans for 7 - 10 days after release. IBBR provides all three of those criteria for their cubs."
The cubs taken in by IBBR are all orphans. The reasons for this vary: some mother bears are illegally killed during the spring and fall bear hunts, some are hit by cars and still others are killed by forest fires. In the wild, bear cubs rely on their mothers for food, protection and guidance during the first 1 1/2 years of their life. IBBR gives these orphan cubs another chance at life and freedom.
For more information visit www.bearrehab.org.
Contact Info: Valerie LeBoeuf, 208-859-0648
Website : Idaho Black Bear Rehab
