It’s bear season at PAWS

LYNNWOOD — Jennifer Convy pointed out the two black bears on a monitor in the lobby of the PAWS Wildlife Center.

The smallest, a male who was found extremely emaciated on Cayuse Pass on Mount Rainier earlier this month, could be vi

ewed as he walked around his temporary home Thursday afternoon.

Watching the bears roam around on the black and white screen is as close as the public can get to the bears, said Convy, the center’s wildlife director.

The bears at the Progressive Animal Welfare Society center on 44th Ave. W. can’t become accustomed to humans if they are to be released back into their natural habitat. PAWS staff and volunteers limit the amount of interaction they have with bears brought into the center.

“We have a hands-off approach here,” Convy said. “We don’t feed the bears by hand, we don’t go in the cages, we don’t name them.”

One of the few times the bears see or hear the people who have helped them through their rehabilitation is at the time of their release. The darts used to tranquilize the bears, and releases that often include loud, barking Karelian bear dogs, are meant to be negative experiences for the bears.

“We want them to think of us as a problem,” Convy said. “The goal is that they stay in their habitat. … If they were to come across a campsite and hear people and dogs maybe they would decide to stay away, or if they’re going to wander through your back yard, then they’re not going to hang out too long.”

PAWS saw a dozen bears in 2010. The last time so many bears came through the center in one year was in 1998 when PAWS saw 16 bears, Convy said.

The center took care of seven of the bears last year. Two were released in Oregon and five were released earlier this month by Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife officials.

Most bears brought to PAWS arrive between May and July and are orphaned cubs.

“They are not necessarily injured, but the mom was confirmed to be dead or missing in action,” Convy said.

“They’re found oftentimes wandering alone, scared and skinny.”

Sometimes, the young bears are in worse shape.

That was the case for both bears now at PAWS. The first was found by wildlife officials in Central Point, Ore., and arrived at the center on March 17. The female weighed about 50 pounds less than she should and had serious skin infections, PAWS veterinarian Steve Johnson said.

“She almost looked like she was dipping her nose in pancake batter,” Johnson said. “You would see this cakiness, that was really scabs.”

After months of medication and rehabilitation, the sow now weighs 66 pounds and might be released next month, Convy said.

The second bear is the auburn-colored male yearling wildlife officials found on Cayuse Pass. He arrived at PAWS on June 9, the same day five healthy bears were released, Convy said.

The yearling’s red blood cell count was dangerously low. In an unusual scenario, veterinarians took blood from one of the healthy bears and gave a transfusion to the yearling.

That bear is now doing well and could weigh more than 100 pounds by the time it is released in the fall, Convy said.

PAWS rehabilitates bears from throughout the state, Oregon, northern California and Idaho. Most bears are brought to the center by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Convy said she expects more bears to be brought to PAWS this year.

“This is cub season,” she said. “Starting now all the way into fall we could have any type of situation occur.”

Amy Daybert: 425-339-3491; adaybert@heraldnet.com.

If you see a bear

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife responds to bear sightings if there is a threat to public safety or property. In an emergency situation, dial 911. Regional Department of Fish and Wildlife offices can be contacted between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 425-775-1311. The PAWS Wildlife Center can be reached at 425-412-4040.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife and PAWS Wildlife Center both list information about black bears on their websites at www.wdfw.wa.gov/living/bears.html and www.paws.org/cougars-bears.html.