Wild Bear Rescue

Wild Bear Rescue is a beautifully shot show about people who are devoted to the rehabilitation of black bears in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. WBR typically follows yearling bears along their recovery until they are ready for (re) release into the wild. The young bears are adorable (you forget the size they eventually grow to when you see them at this age), and the staff and volunteers at the sanctuary are to be commended for their commitment to this cause. The show occasionally mixes in other animals under the WBR staff's care - a recent episode followed a fawn brought into the sanctuary with two broken legs. Only the hardest of hearts will not melt as the animals play, scrap, struggle and develop in the journey back to their natural environment. A gentle show suitable for all ages, and well worth a 30 minute visit.

There is way too much contact between the bears and the humans if these bears are really going to be released in the wild. The episode I watched was non stop humans feeding bears (!). Not even trying to appear as anything other than humans. I think their hearts are in the right place, but is it really rescuing a bear, when there is a strong likelihood hood of it becoming a nuisance bear & then shot. Possibly destroying property and injuring people. Yikes.

While I don't feel this is any kind of groundbreaking documentary, it makes up for nice entertainment and some education as well. Contrary to what another reviewer states, much attention is given to to the fact that these bears have to stay away from humans after they have revovered and been released to the wild again. That is quite a task, because as they say in Canada: A fed bear is a dead bear. A quick online search brings up a July 2016 article in the Vancouver Sun which makes clear that the facility portrayed in this series does a professional job: "The Langens and their staff have nursed 369 bears back to health to date. Of those, only 2.4 per cent came into human conflict post-release. This spectacular track record has meant the couple travel the world making presentations at meetings such as the International Bear Rehab Conference in Russia, the International Moose Conference in Canada and even a trip last year to Vietnam." So, if you care for bears, this docu series is for you.