Skip to content

Golden's grizzly cub has clean bill of health

It has been a month since a grizzly bear cub was found near Golden and transferred to the Northern Lights Wildlife Society.
96087goldenstargrizzlybearweb
Grizzly cub Tika is much healthier since his transfer to Smithers.

It has now been a month since a little grizzly bear cub was found near Golden and transferred to Smithers to be rehabilitated at the Northern Lights Wildlife Society.

At the time, both the conservation officer, Justyn Bell, and the operator of the wildlife society, Angelika Langen, were concerned that the cub was too malnourished to make a recovery.

But after a month in Smithers, the Northern Lights Wildlife Society is happy to report that besides being starved, the little cub has a clean bill of health.

Originally presumed to be a female cub, it has now been determined that the grizzly is a boy. He has been named Tika, which stands for the brave one.

Tika was spotted over several days in mid-December in the Parson/Nicholson area. Bell was eventually able to trap him when he was sticking around a single property in Nicholson, feeding on a deer carcass.

Langen and her husband Peter, who volunteer their time to run the wildlife society, made the trip to Golden to transfer the bear back to their facility in Smithers on Dec. 19.

Since then the community has come together to support Tika, with several people and businesses donating and raising funds for the wildlife society.

To hear updates about Tika's condition, go to www.wildlifeshelter.com, or to the society's Facebook page.