Jim and Ted testing cell signal for Lily's den cam - Nov 4, 2012Today as Sue worked on PowerPoint presentations, Lynn, Jim Stroner, and Ted Parvu picked a spot for the den shed within cable distance of Lily’s den and tested the strength of the cell signal there. They next listened for Faith’s signal at the tight den she had not raked bedding into. She was nowhere around. We had wondered if she might leave this den. We did find her signal in another area and will locate her new den at some point.
Honey bedded back by the fence waiting for Ted to leave the chalet den this morning - Nov 4, 2012The ‘musical dens’ at the Bear Center continues. By the end of today, Honey was back in her chalet den and Ted was back in his wooden den by the windows. No one saw how that happened. Earlier today, Ted was in the chalet den and Honey was nearby.
Yesterday at the Hinckley Lilypad Gathering, an astute Lily Fan asked us about RC’s cub Rose that went missing after a volley of shots on September 9. This past week, the DNR confirmed that Rose had been killed by a hunter who thought she was big enough to be a legal yearling. We don’t have a weight on Rose because RC and her cubs did not come to the Research Station. We are grateful to the DNR for letting us know and bringing us some closure. While it is illegal to hunt cubs in MN, the County Attorney chose not to prosecute the hunter for his mistake. This is the first time we’ve lost a cub during the hunt. Hopefully, it will be the last.
Oak leaf mulch for newly planted bulbs - Nov 4, 2012Also, we believe 2-year-old Shirley was shot the first day of the hunt. A Lily Fan alerted us to a picture posted on a public hunting forum. From the picture and the weight (200), we know of no other female it could be. Although Shirley was shot nearby, she had not been seen at the Research Center this year. We removed her collar in spring when we were making some difficult decisions about which bears to collar given our permit restrictions.
Stairs to observation deck are no more - Nov 4, 2012At the Bear Center, Donna Rogers used oak leaves gathered by Lily Fans to cover the tulip bulbs she planted. For the new addition to the Bear Center, construction workers have removed the outside steps to the viewing balcony. The next walk up stairs to the balcony will be on new steps that will start inside the Bear Center near the Cub Room and exit through the cement wall that is there now.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center