June has moved her 2 cubs deep into a roadless area. She is marking by rubbing her scent on trees and stomp-walking, apparently to expand her territory away from her daughters Lily and Jewel. Wonderful data, but her location makes things harder for research. June is the bear with the longest, most detailed ecological history. She is the bear we have spent the most time with and the bear most comfortable with researchers clambering after her. If she even looks up at the ubiquitous researcher, we wonder why. June has learned to ignore us and go about foraging, marking, caring for cubs, etc.
Now, she is shifting her territory into a roadless area where she will be hard to reach. This bear that is the most comfortable with people has sought the most remote territory. Shouldn’t she be seeking the company of people? Shouldn’t she be hanging out around feeding stations? How often are human predictions defied by real bears? How often do people base predictions on food when social factors and other factors are also important? As we have said before, what makes human sense does not always make bear sense. That’s why we do research.
Lily led her family more than a mile, as did Jo, and as did June. June decided it was time to move today after being in the same small area for several days.
Video taken today of June and her cubs will be posted later tonight at http://www.youtube.com/user/bearstudy#g/u.
The WCCO-TV newscast yesterday evening The Legal Bounty Put On Radio-Collared Bears « CBS Minnesota is generating comments and support from hunters and non-hunters. One of the hunters is hunter, guide, blogger, author T. R. Michels who sees the big picture and is not afraid to talk about it. He put up a new Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Protect-Minnesotas-Research-Bears/160331730697185 and is looking for comments about what the radio-collared bears mean to the signers. He plans to take it all to the Commissioner and the legislature. And that’s just the beginning. This is important.
The link to show support for making the black bear Minnesota’s state mammal is at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/BlackBear-MNState-Mammal/. Anyone, anywhere, of all ages, can sign it if you have an email address.
Congratulations on your win In the Readers Digest contest to win money for Ely. You registered an unbelievable number of votes for Ely.
Thank you for all you are doing.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center