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A photo taken in Northern Saskatchewan of a bear that looked distressed on the side of a Saskatchewan highway has caught the attention of hundreds of social media users.
The photo was taken by Martin Mckenzie near the Lac La Ronge Indian Band community of Sucker River earlier this week.
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People quickly began speculating on the cause of its deformity with ideas ranging from the mythical chupacabra or perhaps even a skin walker.
A wildlife health specialist with Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, however, believes the cause is likely due to something not so imaginative.
“You can definitely see there is some hair loss on the face, a little bit on one of the front limbs as well. This is not uncommon in bears. There is a number of different reasons for hair loss. It can be associated with a disease called mange, which is caused by a variety of different mites,” expert Iga Stasiak said.
“It’s really hard to tell just from a photograph, but from what I can see, it looked to be a mild infection, and the bear otherwise looks to be in decent condition for a yearling. It was obviously a young bear that was wondering around and maybe a bit inexperienced and more likely to wonder into areas with an easy food supply or access to food.”
She explained there is no need for northerners to be concern as the infection will likely heal on its own.
“Oftentimes, bears when they are emerging from hibernation or they are immune-compromised or stressed, they are more prone to these types of infections,” Stasiak remarked.
“Often they can clear the infection on their own, but in some cases it can become more severe. It can spread along their body to their limbs or their trunk, and especially in certain times of the year like the winter, it can cause energy loss and it can actually affect the bears.”
Mckenzie was surprised by the amount of attention the photo has had on social media. He said he even received a phone call from a biologist from the University of Alaska with a different opinion.
“With the fires that went through last year, she figures it got skin damage from being burnt in the face and the forearms. It probably burnt to the skin is what she was thinking,” Mckenzie added.
The photo was taken June 15 along Highway 102 as the road transitions from pavement to gravel about 25 kilometres north of La Ronge.
Mckenzie noted the bear didn’t give them much attention when they stopped to take the photo and just continued walking by.
— with files from CJME News
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