The Northern Lights Wildlife Shelter (NLWS) is a family- and volunteer-run operation. Perched on a hill in the Driftwood area outside Smithers, NLWS provides a temporary home every year to a variety of animals, including bears, moose, birds, and more.

Angelika and Peter Langen, former zookeepers, started the non-profit society in the late 1980s to rescue wild animals orphaned or injured, after realizing there was no other wildlife shelter in northern BC. NLWS has since grown to become an internationally-recognized rehabilitation facility. And yet, they receive no government funding, instead relying on donations from the public, sponsorships and partnerships with local organizations, and project-specific grant-funding.

 

Recently, their work caught the attention of TV channel, Animal Planet. Last year, in partnership with Omnifilm, NLWS became the focus of a 12-part series called “Wild Bear Rescue”. Filmmakers followed the day-to-day lives of the Langen family and volunteers as they struggled through a record year—2016 saw the shelter take in 40 orphaned black bear cubs.

 

The series premieres on June 23 and runs weekly throughout the summer.

 

To find out more about NLWS or to make a donation, head over to wildlifeshelter.com.

— Matt J. Simmons