Three orphaned grizzly cubs now on display at the privately-owned Greater Vancouver Zoo represent a disappearing opportunity for survival of a threatened species, says conservationists.

General manager of the zoo, Serge Lussier, said Wednesday, Theres two options for bears so young when the mother dies is euthanasia, or find an approved zoo.

The trio were found by Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers in Crowsnest Pass in April after their mother was killed by hunters.

They were sent for care at the Calgary Zoo, who ended up passing the responsibility to the Aldergrove zoo.

During that time, 104 signatories many B.C. and Alberta scientists or conservationists wrote a letter to the Alberta government, urging the rehabilitation and release of the cubs back into the wild, given that grizzly bears are a threatened species in Alberta, the letter reads.

More specifically, the age and health of these three cubs make them ideal candidates for the only grizzly cub rehabilitation program in North America, namely the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter in Smithers, B.C.

The Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resources sent an email statement to the Star, confirming the Smithers rehabilitation program was ruled out because it is a pilot, and not considered operational.

Formal best management practices for the facility are in the process of being developed. These are critical to standardize facility construction, humane care and handling and proof of concept, the statement continued.

Co-founder of the shelter, rehabilitationist Angelika Langen, has successfully released 22 bears into the wild during the 13 years the program has been in operation.

Everyone says we are still in a pilot project and they are awaiting results, yet they dont give us the cubs to prove it, she remarked.

Of the three six-month-old grizzly cubs at Greater Vancouver Zoo two of them are female.

Our efforts to prove long-term [grizzly bear] survival and re-integration into the wild population would have made a big step forward with the females, said Langen, noting their reproduction capabilities.

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As it stands, in Alberta there are only 700 surviving grizzly bears, according to the Alberta Wilderness Association. This, compared to 15,000 most recently recorded in B.C. by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

Of 25 cubs government approved for the Northern Lights Wildlife project, only three were female, Langen emphasized.

Alberta conservation biologist and letter signatory, Lisa Dahlseide, said the zoos one-acre enclosure is not nearly large enough to house the cubs for the rest of their lives.

B.C. conservationist, Barb Murray, director of Bears Matter, corroborated Dahlseides concerns about enclosure space for the cubs, them being fed dog food, and kept in captivity.

The cubs will outgrow that one acre so quickly, Murray said, also addressing claims made by the zoo that the cubs are not suitable for re-entry to the wild since they are human imprinted.

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Murray along with other signatories of the letter in a race against time to have a bear biologist or rehabilitationist examine the Greater Vancouver Zoos newest cubs and see if they are still candidates for the Smithers rehabilitation program.

We are prepared to pay the expert to fly in, Murray said. Six months isnt that old, only bear experts will know if the cubs are still viable for rehabilitation.

Until we have a definitive answer from a bear expert it is a question mark we just cant answer. Let them be assessed now before their fate is sealed, shes pleading.

The Greater Vancouver Zoo, in Aldergrove, has previously been criticized for how it cares for its animals, particularly large species which have died in its care.

Lussier, the zoos general manager, insisted: We have the habitats, we have the experts, and were so proud to be a part of this.

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