Bear cub 'Windsor' hibernates at rehab facility until next summer — after unusual journey

A nine-month-old black bear has travelled a great distance during his unorthodox journey across parts of Ontario.

The rescue centre now caring for the cub says he's on the mend and on track to be back in his natural habitat next summer. 

It's believed the journey started in northern Ontario, where he was struck by a vehicle near Cochrane. That's also when the unconscious cub was scooped up from the side of the road by people from Windsor, driven 10 hours in a van to southwestern Ontario — and infamously fed Taco Bell along the way. 

Windsor, as he's now aptly named, was taken to a nearby animal rescue centre in Chatham-Kent. 

While in the care of Chatham-Kent's Pet and Wildlife Rescue centre, executive director Myriam Armstrong told CBC News the bear was "so stressed" and "shell shocked" when he first arrived.

Then, with help of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), he was moved to a rehabilitation facility in the Huntsville region that specializes in bears.

Mike McIntosh at Bear With Us came up with the animal's name.

"The city was involved in his trip to our facility and certainly it's a nice name anyway," he said.

McIntosh, his wife and a volunteer run the centre that takes in orphan and injured bears from all districts of the province. 

"We treat them very carefully," he added.

They've been looking after the cub since Sep. 1.

"This little bear was lucky. He didn't appear to have any broken bones, but he was suffering from severe head trauma and body bruising. He wasn't really with it on his trip. His trip back to Windsor was probably most of the time being unconscious or semi-conscious."

McIntosh said the cub's recovery is in full swing and he's nearly back to being a "normal bear."

"He's walking OK. He's stable. His cognitive ability seems good. He's eating and drinking well. He still walks as if he's a little sore, but he climbs, and I think he's definitely near recovered."

The bear weighed about 14 kilograms when he arrived in at the rescue in Sprucedale, Ont. 

Black bears aren't expected to reach their full size until around 10 years old, McIntosh said, and can live as long as 30 years.

Windsor will remain at the rehabilitation facility and hibernate there over the winter. 

McIntosh said he's already been in contact with MNR officials near Cochrane, and expects to release him back into the wild in that area next July or August.

However, he said, the bear won't need to reconnect with his family because bear cubs only stay with their mother for about 18 months.

"The males tend to roam around by themselves. Female cubs may stay connected, but the males don't. He'll be a little loner, and find his way in the wild and hopefully grow up to be a mature bear in the next seven, eight years."

Windsor won't be alone during his lengthy stay. McIntosh said two more bears were brought in Monday — for a total of seven since last Thursday. He said as it stands now, roughly 20 bears will be hibernating at their space over the winter.

"The one enclosure we have is a quite a large outdoor enclosure with a pond, lots of natural grass and everything with a den box ... They're very sociable animals. They hang together like a little team."

Windsor is currently by himself in the facility's special care area, but once he has regained all of his faculties, according to McIntosh, he'll be put with some of his fellow furry friends.

"The only test we really need to do at this point, since he doesn't have any broken bones, is just to watch him just observe his behaviour."