Lynn at Jewel's den - Feb 3, 2012Our attempts to improve the den cam image today only made things worse. Jewel bumped the camera as soon as we left, leaving us with sound and no image. Well actually we have an image… an impressive view of the den wall. However, we did solve the mystery of what Jewel was doing when she backed past the camera to the den entrance. There, just inside the den were 2 lumps of bear scat (feces).
Jewel watching as researchers approach - Feb 3, 2012Things started out nicely. We said “It’s me, bear” and threw Jewel a few grapes so she’d know everything was okay. Shortly, the family fell to nursing as calmly as ever—without squawking. That went on for over 20 minutes until Lynn could no longer hold the camera in position without shaking. The goal today was to clean the den cam lens and record high definition video of the cubs to learn more about them. We never saw them. They were too busy nursing.
Jewel's cubs briefly alone in the den - Feb 3, 2012Then, Jewel became interested in what we were doing and decided to come out. That’s when we normally would have left and come back later when Jewel was settled back in. But we can’t work as freely and sensitively as before. Our new research permit reads “Dens may be visited no more than once per week.” We are forced to pack more into a single den visit than we normally would. Leaving the job undone now means leaving it undone till next week—not just overnight. It means data collection by the Den-Watch Team, education of students in 500 classrooms, and our collective learning is put on hold. We’re stuck with the current view until next week.
Jewel and cubs - Feb 3, 2012Today was a demonstration of Jewel’s trust. Her calm face showed she felt she could emerge and check things out. She picked a time when the sleepy cubs had finished nursing and weren’t loudly complaining about her leaving. The first peeps from the cubs brought her immediately back to check on them.
If she were a non-trusting bear, a biologist would have to tranquilize her to adjust the Den Cam. That’s one reason bears’ six months of life in the den has remained such a mystery until now.
Video highlights of Jewel and her cubs from yesterday are posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7q7nSjm968.
Nothing goes perfectly. We’re doing the best we can under the circumstances. We believe that with learning comes caring, and caring brings us a step closer to accomplishing our mission—“…to advance the long-term survival of bears worldwide by replacing misconceptions with scientific facts about bears, their role in ecosystems, and their relations with humans.”
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center