Former war correspondent Julius Strauss launched the Wild Bear Vets program in 2021 to promote the benefits of nature-based rehabilitation in the same forests where he once chose to retreat from the atrocities of war
Sitting in a small plane weaving between B.C.’s Purcell Mountains, Ukrainian veteran Ivan Maruniak said he felt joy for the first time in two years.
Mr. Strauss, owner of the lodge near the Selkirk Mountains, moved to Canada after 15 years of covering conflict in places such as Ukraine, Russia, the Middle East and the Balkans for The Daily Telegraph. He also worked at The Globe and Mail for a short time after arriving in the country.
While it’s not the right path for everyone, Mr. Strauss said that for those who are open to it, the skills-based retreat can help veterans in a precarious mental or physical state see how they can still contribute to society. Former war correspondent Julius Strauss, who founded the Wild Bear Vets program, leads Andy Burns, Oleksandr Budko and Ivan Maruniak during a search and rescue exercise in the British Columbia wilderness.
Now, Mr. Maruniak is trained in search and rescue, driving an ATV, fishing, trip planning and swift water rescues. Armed with this knowledge and newfound friendships, he plans to establish his own retreat in Ukraine near the Carpathian Mountains and Dniester Canyon, where injured veterans will be able to find the kind of solace he experienced in B.C.
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