Grizzly Bear Foundation Recognizes Landmark Research on Orphaned Grizzly Cub Rewilding
Grizzly Bear Foundation Recognizes Landmark Research on Orphaned Grizzly Cub Rewilding
A new peer-reviewed study from Project Rewild provides the scientific foundation for improving the captive-rearing, release, and long-term survival of orphaned grizzly bears.
The Grizzly Bear Foundation is pleased to recognize an important milestone for orphaned grizzly bear rewilding with the publication of Project Rewild’s first peer-reviewed research in Frontiers in Conservation Science.
Led by Project Rewild's Principal Investigator and Independent Research Scientist Dr. Lana Ciarniello, the study, Evidence for a metabolic trap and habituation limiting post-release survival of orphaned grizzly bears, shares findings from five years of research examining the journeys and outcomes of fourteen orphaned grizzly bears returned to the wild in British Columbia.
The Grizzly Bear Foundation (GBF) initiated Project Rewild in 2019 after identifying critical gaps in the scientific evidence surrounding orphaned grizzly bear rewilding. At the time, very little was known in British Columbia or globally about the long-term outcomes of orphaned grizzly cubs returned to the wild. To ensure the project was grounded in rigorous scientific analysis, GBF partnered with Dr. Lana Ciarniello, Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group’s Human-Bear Conflicts Expert Team and member of its North American Bear Expert Team, to lead the Project Rewild research program. The research examines post-release survival and identifies best practices to enhance the care and well-being of orphaned grizzly bears and improve their chances of long-term survival in the wild.
This peer-reviewed publication provides important new evidence about the challenges orphaned grizzly bears face and the factors that influence their survival. By following these bears to determine their fates beyond their release, Project Rewild has moved beyond assumptions to build an evidence-based understanding of post-release outcomes and what can be done differently to give orphaned grizzly bears the best possible chance of surviving in the wild.
Coming soon, the Grizzly Bear Foundation will release Project Rewild’s Best Practices Report, commissioned by GBF and written by Dr. Ciarniello. This first-of-its-kind report translates our findings and lessons learned into practical, evidence-based recommendations for orphaned grizzly bear rescue, rearing, release and monitoring, helping inform programs and policy, improve bear care and rewilding practices, and support better opportunities for orphaned grizzly bear cubs in British Columbia and beyond.
Every orphaned grizzly bear followed through Project Rewild has a story, and together those stories have deepened our understanding of what it takes for an orphaned grizzly bear to successfully return to life in the wild. By learning from both survival and mortality, we can continue to improve how these bears are captive-reared, how decisions about their futures are made, and how we can give these orphans not just a second chance, but the best possible chance of long-term survival in the wild.
This work reflects the Grizzly Bear Foundation's commitment to advancing the welfare and conservation of grizzly bears through collaboration and grounded in science. In the coming months, we look forward to sharing more about what Project Rewild has taught us, the individual journeys and outcomes of the bears followed through this research, and how their stories and the lessons learned can help strengthen orphaned grizzly bear rewilding as both an ethical welfare practice and an effective conservation tool.
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