The Bear Den

THE BEAR DEN PODCAST Join host, Philip Stubley, longtime volunteer and board member, in this series which lifts the lid on the American Bear Association (ABA), the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary and talk all about ...more

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About the Show

THE BEAR DEN PODCAST Join host, Philip Stubley, longtime volunteer and board member, in this series which lifts the lid on the American Bear Association (ABA), the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary and talk all about our favorite subject – bears!

The series details the formation of the ABA, who we are and why we do what we do. Listener’s will go on a journey dating back 100 years as we trace the ABA’s origins and detail the colourful, and sometimes controversial, life of Vince Shute. Along the way there will be many stories featuring colourful characters, both human and bear. There are interviews and contributions from key players ranging from ABA founders, staff and volunteers. Among other things, episodes will cover the sanctuary’s recent radio collar program and potential future volunteers and interns will also gain insight into the volunteer experience.

Beyond the sanctuary we talk about bear conservation, bear behaviours, myth and misconceptions, and bear safety, including a chat with a wildlife biologist who survived a grizzly bear attack. This series is for people who have never heard of the ABA and for those who are familiar and want to know more. It’s for anyone interested in wildlife, history and remarkable stories!

Meet our Hosts

Philip Stubley

Philip Stubley

After seeing wild black bears in Canada, Philip became interested in their feeding habits and how bears/human coexist together. In his research, he came across the ABA and knew he had to see it for himself. He first became involved as a volunteer at the ABA in 2014. Since then he has tried to make it back every summer to volunteer and support the ABA and promote the mission of education, coexistence and understanding. He fell in love with the bear known as Elsa in 2014 and enjoys seeing her return year after year. From 2014-2018 he visited the sanctuary every August-September and in 2016 stayed through to October. 2018 was the first year he was unable to help out at the sanctuary but he had a good excuse. He was away in Borneo, Indonesia and has been involved with various sun bear related NGO’s in Indonesia since then. Sun bears are a smaller species to black bears but are one of the most threatened. He has worked in various ways designing and supervising the construction of bear enclosures, assisted with husbandry/nutrition and helping raise over 15 orphaned sun bear cubs. Most recently, he has been helping the Sumatran Sun Bear Team design a new enclosure due to be built this year. Luckily, he was able to make time to volunteer at the ABA in 2019. However, due to travel restrictions he had to wait an agonizing two years before he could finally return to the sanctuary in May/June 2022. There he took an active role helping as a grounds manager and trained new staff/interns and got the sanctuary set up for the season. He subsequently joined the ABA board and was back onsite in 2024.