A rare glimpse into the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter

Published 12:30 pm Thursday, July 10, 2025

By Staff reports

Two of the many temporary residents who pass through the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter on their way to being rewilded.
Two of the many temporary residents who pass through the Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter on their way to being rewilded.

Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter had its largest fundraiser of the year on Canada Day.

At their first Open House in 2013 they had 500 people, this year, 2025, they had 2,958 visitors.

The open house is the only day of the year that the centre is open for guests. All that come are given guidelines on following facility protocol. Care is taken so the animals do not become habituated to people.

When I called Angelika Langen to find out how the event went, she had to call me back. They were tranquilizing three grizzlies.

As well as, being measured for radio collars, it is time for a weigh-in and wellness check. One of the grizzlies would be on its way the next morning to get rewilded in the Nelson area. The next would be released into the Stewart area.

At the moment they are fostering 22 black bear cubs. 

When I was on holiday at Big Lake, outside Williams Lake, I had heard that a sow with five cubs had been shot and that our rescue centre was setting up to catch the cubs.  

Three were captured. One of the three cubs died of a natural cause, it had an infection. The other two are doing well. 

When natural food supply for the area is diminished, volunteers with the shelter will go back out into the Big Lake area, and make another effort to capture the remaining two. This team does not give up easily – neighbours are on the alert for the cubs on the shelter’s behalf. 

In 2024, Northern Lights released 142 bears back into the wild.

Wild Bear Rescue episodes, which were filmed before the pandemic and in connection with Animal Planet, can still be found.

I picked up the three seasons, 2017 to 2019, on YouTube. Their FB page gives glimpses of the comeback of wild animals that have been severely traumatized.

They have to be not only physically well, but emotionally rehabilitated to be rewilded.

It is not just bears the wildlife shelter rescues.  In 2024, seven moose went through their door. 

At the moment, as well as bear and moose, they have white tail and black-tail deer, squirrels, two cougars and a Siberian Lynx. The cats can’t be released and are permanent residents.

As a donor to NLWS, Angelika said, “You are the ones making miracles happen.”  

The shelter has an online donation page and we can light up a Christmas Tree by adding a bulb in honour of a bear named Dawson.

If you have items for this column, please email sonja.lester.b.c@gmail.com or call 250-947-4414. 

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