Three young bear cubs were found trapped in a public washroom off the Trans-Canada Highway, and now Banff park officials are trying to figure out exactly how they got there.
According to reports, the three cubs were found on April 1 in a washroom at the Vermillion Lakes turnoff, just west of the Banff townsite. They were discovered by a driver, who stopped to use the washroom at around 11 p.m.
“We don’t know how long they were in there,” Parks Canada spokesperson Christina Tricomi told the Calgary Herald. “They’re healthy but obviously a little stressed out.”
After the discovery, park officials checked the wildlife cameras installed at the nearest underpass and spent the next 48 hours patrolling the surrounding area. With no mother bear in sight, officials have put out a call to the public to help solve this mysterious case. They’re asking anyone with information about the cubs to contact Parks Canada at 405-760-1570.
In the meantime, the cubs are being taken care of by just one park official, to keep their contact with humans to a minimum, while others determine what to do with the bears long term. Because the cubs are still being bottle fed and are much too young to survive on their own, they may be placed in a rehabilitation facility, where they could be raised until they’re old enough to be released into the wild.
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