Breeze-free den!Judy Thon took notice of Ted closing the back entrance of his den with straw a few days ago. Was he saying he wanted less of a breeze through his chosen den? She and Glenn Hoole, the Bear Center's maintenance man, paid Ted a visit today. Ted looked up just a little (pretty sleepy), and Glenn screwed the wood in place without Ted saying a word. He lifted his head at the strange sound but was snuggled down again by the time they were finished. Judy Thon kept talking to him, using her familiar voice to assure him that the power drill noises were okay.
Lynn had a great time doing something that he always enjoys—talking to people who truly care about bears and want to know more about them. Cathy Paulson and Judy Thon set up a Skype connection with the group that met today in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. Each person sat down in front of the Skype camera and let Lynn connect his or her face with a name. Some he'd met before. Some were new to him. Such a knowledgeable bunch. Questions and answers followed. An uplifting time.
Another intriguing activity today was continuing to go through the treasure trove of video clips Linda Gibson pulled on various topics for the first of several Den Cam papers. Most of the topics in this paper have never been mentioned in scientific literature, or they contradict common beliefs about this least observed half of black bear life.
In previous studies, human observers had to physically be at the dens. Consequently, den abandonments plagued the studies and results were primarily bear reactions to observers and how abandonments can negatively affect reproduction and survival.
In searching the literature, we found no descriptions of birth processes for any species of bear, captive or wild, including den preparations, body changes, labor, birth position, initial reactions to newborn cubs, or care of cubs. We found no observations of play, REM sleep, mutual tongue-licking, nursing by yearlings, ingestion of body wastes, ingestion of snow, or urination. We found no indications that mothers help yearlings remove their old foot pads. We found no references to how hibernating bears respond to the mice, voles, squirrels, and spiders that share their dens or how bears respond to the predators and other animals that approach den entrances.
Trust is the key to revealing what happens in this least observed half of black bear life. Trust allowed us to install the Den Cams and make infrequent visits to clean the lenses, etc. We put most of the equipment in sheds far from the dens so we could avoid visiting the dens for months at a time. The results were seen by all, as the Den Cams revealed for the first time what goes on in undisturbed black bear dens. As people learn more about bear behavior they want to know more. Many become more willing to coexist with bears and observe them. Physiologists who obtain data on body temperature, heart rates, and oxygen consumption from devices implanted in bears that cannot be observed suspect that spikes in their data are caused by unknown behaviors. Our Den Cams are revealing those behaviors as we have all seen in Lily's and Jewel's dens. Many of the behaviors were just plain unknown. Some run contrary to accepted beliefs.
We are encouraging further study to compare our findings with data from bears in other (warmer) regions, bears with poorer body condition, and bears of other species.
We feel fortunate that the advances in technology that has made this research possible occurred in our lifetimes.
It is a disappointment that wildlife officials who are decision-makers in our permits have hindered this study as they have. It is a disappointment that they have banned live streaming of the video, preventing learning by the public and schools for reasons beyond comprehension. Further, it has been a disappointment that hunters have deliberately and admittedly shot radio-collared bears in efforts to destroy the project. It is also disappointing to see Facebook screen captures that say, "hoping i can get lily into my bait site!!" and "We will be holding a find lily's den event soon!"
We are thankful for true Lily Fans who value these studies. We are thankful for hunters who support the research by passing up radio-collared bears.
We plan to put Den Cams in the dens of Lily (with Eli and Ellie) and Juliet (likely to have 3 cubs). More on that soon.
Thank you for all you have done to help the research and spread the information.
—Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.