Arctic Vets

Rescue, rehabilitation & release: how injured and sick Arctic animals get a second chance at life

The Assiniboine Park Conservancy gives struggling Arctic animals a second chance at life — whether that’s in captivity or back in nature after rehabilitation.

The Assiniboine Park Conservancy gives struggling Arctic animals a second chance at life

Polar bears playfully spar together at Assiniboine Park Conservancy. (Arctic Vets Productions Inc. / CBC)

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Not every animal can survive in the wild. Many of the Arctic animals who live at the Assiniboine Park Conservancy (APC) in Winnipeg, Man. were rescued after injury, accidents or illness. The Conservancy gives struggling Arctic animals a second chance at life — whether that's in captivity or back in nature after some rehabilitation. 

Care and rehabilitation

One of the Conservancy's most cherished residents is Neptune, a harbour seal with just one eye. In 2014, the orphaned pup was rescued from the Pacific Ocean by the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre in Vancouver. Dr. Chris Enright, director of animal welfare and veterinary services at Assiniboine Park Conservancy, flew him back to Winnipeg where the APC had space and capacity to care for him.

While in care, Neptune developed an eye problem. A veterinary ophthalmologist tried to help him but his eye had to be removed.

For these rescued harbour seals, playtime has a serious purpose

4 years ago
Duration 0:59
Meet Neptune the one-eyed seal and his friends — rescued harbour seals (with big personalities) who now call the Assiniboine Park Conservancy home.

"Neptune wasn't going to see well enough to hunt successfully. [Seals] need to be able to see fish to catch them," says Enright. "The decision was made that Neptune would not be a suitable candidate for release."

Teams involved in rescues don't take these decisions lightly. They take into account what is known about a species — for instance, owls can hunt successfully with only one eye, while seals cannot — to decide if a certain animal could fend for itself in the harsh Arctic. "In the wild, some animals do die and that's part of life. But is it ethical to put an animal in the wild that you're pretty sure has little to no chance and you're dooming that animal to starvation?" says Enright.

These days, Neptune is thriving and has bonded closely with his care team, who have trained him so he can easily receive medical care if he needs it.

Catch and release

The Assiniboine Park Conservancy also assists in rescues that see animals released back into the wild. In particular, it helps with catch-and-release rescue projects that divert Arctic creatures away from humans and make sure they can safely return to their natural habitats.

How Churchill, Man. deals with their 'polar bear problem'

4 years ago
Duration 0:59
See how polar bears are humanely captured, examined and released to keep Churchill, Man. safe.

The Conservancy partners with the Polar Bear Alert Program in Churchill, Man., which is on the shoreline of Hudson Bay. The program's team monitors polar bears who, as they wait in summer and fall for the bay to freeze up so they can go on the ice and hunt seals, may wander into town. Bears hanging around town pose a safety hazard to residents, so it's important for the program to find and relocate them.

While the Churchill team uses noise and other simple tactics to encourage bears to skirt town — they're alerted by residents on a 24-hour telephone hotline — sometimes they need to tranquillize a bear and move it to the town's Polar Bear Holding Facility.

The Polar Bear Holding Facility in Churchill, Man. (Arctic Vets Productions Inc. / CBC)

When that happens, Enright flies up to Churchill. If his examination reveals the bear to be healthy, the alert team will release it onto the bay once the ice has formed. If it is injured or unwell, Enright will treat it as best he can and determine whether the bear can return to its habitat or if it needs to be placed where it can receive human care. 

Storm, the first polar bear brought to live in the Conservancy, was rescued as a young, malnourished bear after he strayed into Churchill and attacked a man. The man survived but the young bear would have been put down if Enright and his team had not brought him back to APC. 

"The first time I saw Storm, I knew I had to give him a second chance at life. And it was really important to me to not only do the rescue but to give Storm a fantastic life in human care. Here at Assiniboine, he's showing us he can connect people with the awesome animal that polar bears are."


Watch Arctic Vets, Fridays at 8:30 (9 NT) on CBC, or stream it on CBC Gem.