I heard the excitement in Mike’s voice. “Big Harry is back. Look at the way he’s walking. It’s Big Harry.” Mike remembers details of the many bears he loves—something about how they walk, 
Big Harrya sway to the back, a tiny scar, a notch in the ear, and (Like Lorie) the look in their eyes. Some have sad faces, some look intense. I snapped three quick pictures. The first looked intense as Harry responded to a noise I made. Mike said, “Not necessarily, Harry just looks like that. He and Lorie know these bears perhaps better than anyone.
Then Samantha showed up and kept looking back at a big white pine that probably held her four cubs. Samantha (Braveheart’s daughter from 2009) looks like Jewel (June’s daughter from the same year) except for the notch in Samantha’s right ear. Samantha was happy with my raw unsalted peanuts until she saw Lorie the pecan lady behind me. Samantha immediately went around me and found she was right. The photo shows her telling another bear to stay back.
Big HarryBig Harry goes way back. He was already big when we saw him in early 2003. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was 10 by then, which would make him 23 now. He is wary, even here, until he knows who a person is and what he or she is up to. Then he is cautious but gentle but not a bear that likes touching.
The first Black Bear Field Course starts on Sunday. Participants will get to know the personalities and quirks of each bear.
SamanthaAt another feeding station, Vanna brought her cubs in for a good look by the landowner—a male and a female. The landowner loved Dot, Vanna’s mother, and was crushed when the DNR wrongly put a kill order out for her based on a misidentification which Sue and I proved to be just that. The DNR Wildlife Manager ignored our data and later said in court that he figured it was just a lie. The landowner immediately named the female cub Dottie. A few hours later, she decided on the name Dobie for the male.
Occasionally, we hear of good Lily Fans translating these updates into other languages in various countries. I don’t know if this is on an ongoing basis or just occasionally. In any case, it is much appreciated. A couple days ago, we heard of one being translated into Slovak language.
At the Bear Center, Tasha and Holly were nose to nose through the fence, and I couldn’t tell from the video if they were playful or antagonistic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I86mK-SF9M
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center