For a staff member at a local animal sanctuary, a casual drive turned into a high-stakes adventure when they stumbled across an animal. Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is based out of Rosseau, Ont., north of Bracebridge. In a post on social media, the sanctuary says a staff member was driving along Aspdin Road near Hekkla, Ont., when they discovered and injured a black bear lying on the road. According to Aspen Valley, a driver hit the bear and had stopped to call provincial police to inform them of the incident. Before additional staff from the sanctuary arrived, the bear reportedly got on her feet and made her way into the woods. Aspen Valley staff say they knew finding her would prove difficult once she entered the forest. A four-person team armed with a syringe pole formed a walking line and made their way into the bush, after the bear. The sanctuary says staff looked for the bear but found nothing, but just before deciding to turn back, they saw her. With the use of the syringe, staff were able to sedate the bear. The sleeping bear was then placed in a transport crate, removed from the forest and brought to the sanctuary. X-rays revealed the bear had suffered head trauma, a dislocated hind paw and a fracture to her snout. Despite being an adult black bear, staff said she was underweight for this time of year, which could lead to concerns as winter approaches. For now, the bear remains with Aspen Valley. The unnamed bear will eventually return to the wild once her injuries have healed and she has regained her weight and her strength, according to Aspen Valley staff. There is currently no set timeline on how long that may take.
