On the night of October 1, 2010, a small, emaciated bear cub arrived at Critter Care Wildlife Society from North Vancouver. He weighed in at just 20lbs, but despite his small size this little bear had a big personality. He was given the name Atayokan, which is Cree for Spirited, and he has thrived since his arrival. But Atayokan's story begins long before he arrived at Critter Care, and may have never been told if it weren't for the many caring people who played a role in saving him.

In the beginning of August, Conservation Officers had to relocate an aggressive mother bear and her two cubs. The bears were relocated together to a safer area for them away from people. In mid-September mom returned, but now she only had one cub. There had been sightings of a single cub in the area, but they were few and far between. The Conservation Officers believed that the second cub had not survived so the mom and her one remaining cub were again relocated.

One week later a solo cub started showing up in North Vancouver, and the officers realized he was the missing cub. On Wednesday September 29 he entered a house, and the next day he crossed busy Mt. Seymour Parkway.  Friday morning he was spotted at Maplewood Farms, and by early afternoon he was behind the Lynnwood Hotel in a tree.  In three days this little bear had traveled about 8km. His adventures earned him the nickname Traveller 2.  Throughout these travels the community kept track of him and provided the information to Conservation Officers. Finally, on Friday afternoon he was captured and on his way to safety.

His journey though had left him underweight and malnourished. Atayokan arrived at Critter Care starving, and with ripped and tattered ears. The moment we put food in front of him, he licked his
bowl clean. There was a worry that he might have pneumonia. He was kept inside and given as much food as he wanted. After three days of good food, he put on 12lbs. Atayokan could now move outside, where he would meet two of the other bears preparing to hibernate at Critter Care, Alice and Mahalo. The girls are three times his size, but Atayokan didn't let that intimidate him, and by the end of the day Atayokan fell asleep tucked in between his two new friends.

Atayokan and Critter Care's six other bears will stay with us until the spring when they will be released back into the wild, far from human temptations. They will get a second chance, a chance that they wouldn't get if Critter Care didn't exist. Atayokan would not have survived on his own, and now he has a bright future ahead of him.