Bear cub from northern Ont. survives 10-hour drive to Windsor in back of van, being fed Taco Bell

A black bear cub survived a 10-hour drive to Windsor while being fed Taco Bell after being found in the middle of a road near Cochrane, Ont.

Chatham-Kent's Pet and Wildlife Rescue (PAWR) Centre had the unusual animal in its care for a part of the Labour Day long weekend.

Officials say they had to retrieve the young black bear from inside a van after receiving a call for assistance on Saturday evening.

"We have never had an actual bear call before that turned out to be a bear," said PAWR executive director Myriam Armstrong.

"Apparently two fellows were driving up north in Cochrane and found this bear in the middle of the road and decided to pick him up and drive him 10 hours down to Windsor," Armstrong explained.

"Somehow somebody heard about it and the police got involved. We talked to the police just to offer our services if they needed a place temporarily for the animal, because not everybody has a good spot to keep a bear and our animal controls are 24/7 for emergencies."

Armstrong said the bear was frightened and listless when it arrived, noting the cub had been fed tacos.Officials say they retrieved a young black bear from inside a van in Windsor, Ont. (Source: Myriam Armstrong)

“The bear was quite lethargic,” Armstrong said. “Very scared. I should mention it was fed Taco Bell, so I'm sure his innards weren't feeling so great neither. And, he was just really stressed. So were able to remove him from the vehicle, put him in our crates and drive him to the shelter here and put him in a safe enclosure, where he got to spend the night."

Armstrong told CTV News the Ministry of Natural Resources was notified, who suggested PAWR contact the nearest bear rescue centre. She said officials arranged for a volunteer driver to bring the bear cub halfway to Huntsville on Sunday, where it would then be transferred to a proper care centre.

Armstrong said PAWR staff were eager to help with such an interesting call, and also told CTV News she has not learned of any charges against those responsible for moving the animal.

"There are some pretty strict rules on keeping wildlife. You are not able to keep wildlife captive for so many reasons, I won't even have time to talk about all of them," Armstrong said. "Just common sense to start, you know, they're wild animals, so leave them in the wild, and a bear, obviously, there is some risk associated with housing a bear."

According to Armstrong, it's best practice not to pick up any animals that appear to be in distress, suggesting it's best to get a hold of a local wildlife rescue, the MNR, or police.Officials say they retrieved a young black bear from inside a van in Windsor, Ont. (Source: Myriam Armstrong)

Windsor police confirmed they received a call about a person with a bear on Saturday, saying a citizen found a small bear that was injured late at night. Police said the person made attempts to contact animal rescue but could not connect with them until the next day.

Police said at the time of the report, the bear appeared to okay, before it was brought to Chatham.

According to an email from a Ministry of Natural Resources spokesperson, the MNR was notified of an injured black bear cub in the possession of a Windsor resident on Saturday August 31. The bear cub was found in northeastern Ontario.

The MNR said the bear cub was transported Sunday to a facility in Sprucedale that specializes in bear rehabilitation - Bear With Us - with the assistance of PAWR.

The email said, Ontario laws generally do not allow people to keep wildlife. However, you may temporarily possess sick, injured or immature wildlife for up to 24 hours if you are transferring the animal to a wildlife custodian or veterinarian.

MNR officials said individuals should not approach or try to capture a wild animal without first talking to a wildlife custodian.

For more information on what to do if you find a wild animal that appears sick, injured, or orphaned visit How to help a sick, injured or orphaned wild animal in Ontario.

For more information on Ontario's animal captivity laws and accompanying offences, please see the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.

Last week, the animal shelter announced it had suspended accepting surrender animals due to capacity concerns when more than 20 animals were in need of immediate care following an apartment fire in Chatham.