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Grouse Mountain’s resident bears, Coola and Grinder, wake up from hibernation

The two grizzlies have been living on Grouse Mountain for 18 years.
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Grouse Mountain’s resident grizzly bears, Grinder and Coola, have just emerged from their very long winter nap after after 128 days of hibernation.

Regarded as two of the most popular residents at the Peak of Vancouver, the now 18 year old Grizzly bears Grinder and Coola originally came to Grouse Mountain’s Refuge for Endangered Wildlife in 2001 when they were rescued after being orphaned during separate incidents in Bella Coola and Invermere.

The two grizzlies have been living on Grouse Mountain for 18 years. Each bear has its own story of how they were found as small orphan cubs. Grinder was found in Invermere, BC, where he was wandering alone on a logging road, dehydrated, thin, weak and weighing only 4.5 kg. His mother was never found, so he was taken to live in a new, safe environment on Grouse Mountain.

Similarly, Coola was found orphaned on a highway near Bella Coola, BC. His mother had been killed by a truck and, of her three cubs, Coola was the only one to survive.

The grizzlies will now explore their hibernation habitat as the team with the Refuge for Endangered Wildlife prepares their full 5.5 acre summer habitat.