In December, Jeremy Hallihan from Parker Ridge, New Brunswick had a surprising visitor in his backyard. Buddy the orphaned bear cub was burrowing for rotten apples and making a den under his back deck. Battling infection and starvation—she weighed a mere 15 pounds—she was taken to the Atlantic Wildlife Institute to be cared for until she could be released back into the wild.
Now, Buddy has been progressing well towards a full recovery. “She’s probably weighing in between 30 and 40 pounds, which is good considering where she came from,” director of the AWI Pam Novak told CBC. “And she’s appearing healthy, she’s staying wild. She doesn’t want anything to do with me, which is great. I love that.”
With her health on the rise, the Atlantic Wildlife Institute believes she will be fit to return to the wild this summer.
“Fingers crossed she will continue to do well,” Novak said. “I never let out that sigh of relief until I see that bum disappear into the woods.