June - 05-19-2005In this 127-second flashback to September 2, 2007, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAtMUS5GSp0, Lily (on the right with the light face) and Cal are whiling away their time on a soft bed of sphagnum moss. Most wild foods have disappeared. These two friends (siblings) are having moments of play—with a cameo appearance by Bud, who pounces briefly and playfully on Lily.
Cal, Lily and Bud - 09-02-2007Lily and Cal idly manipulate speckled alder branches as bears sometimes do when branches are within reach of their beds. On the other hand, the bush is a speckled alder, and bears do eat the leaves of them as they transition into hibernation. Speckled alder leaves are mostly ignored the rest of the year.
Speaking of leaves, the names for Cal and Lily are derived from the wild calla lily (Calla palustris), also called water arum, which provides leaves that bears eat from spring to fall. Cal and Lily were obviously close from the time they left their den. They often played together and were the two dominant cubs that shared the prime nipples on June’s chest. They were so close that naming them both from the same bear food seemed fitting.
Cal and Lily - 09-02-2007Seeing these flashbacks, it is amazing to see the growth of these cubs in the four and a half months since they left their den in mid-April. We look forward to seeing Lily with her fourth litter this coming year.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center