Happy Halloween!Actually, the day was most over before we realized it was Halloween! No field work today. October tends to be a month of catch-up for us. We continued work on the PowerPoint presentations for the Speakers Bureau, Bear Center, etc.
Work begins - Oct 31, 2012Construction has begun on the Bear Center. The de-construction of the outside stairway to the observation deck was started today—the first step in making room for an addition which will house the Hope Learning Center and the Northwoods Ecology Exhibit. The picture below shows the east end of the Bear Center where the new addition will be built.
New addition location - Oct 31, 2012Ted, Lucky, and Honey passed the day resting quietly in their dens on the far side of their enclosure, coming out occasionally to eat and drink.
Inside the Bear Center, the staff happily worked on your Holiday orders. Thank you!
The last 'Walk with June' for 2005 is below.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
I walked in on June today totally expecting to find her at a den site after her move away from the Peninsula last night – but found her bedded in a cedar/spruce/balsam swamp instead. It rained yesterday and today it was cold with clouds racing by dropping sleet from time to time. Very wet woods.
June and her cubs came readily to me and the cubs ate voraciously. I scattered the peanuts around hoping to forestall the usual fighting between the cubs. This delayed the fighting but did not eliminate it. Pete insisted on feeding under June’s nose – pushing June away from the food so once again the cubs got nearly all the food. A fight broke out as the food was nearly gone – with George lighting into Pete. As usual, June rushed to them grunting her concern.
June headed back for her bed at the base of an 8-inch cedar. Signs of raking extended 6 feet out from the bed. A rotted cedar next to the bed had also been shredded into the bed.
June made several forays out into a morass of downed cedars – each time returning to her bed. The cubs wandered around some, played a bit with each other, ate willow leaves, searched out missed peanuts, and played idly with twigs as they rested.
Both June and George defecated. I noticed immediately that both scats contained what appeared to be ungulate hair.
Resting heart rates: June – 28/min, George – 44/min