The highlight of this day was visiting the Bear Center ambassador bears. My main goal was to see what Tasha’s den looked like and to see if she was back in it.
Ted
On the way, I stopped by Ted’s den and he seemed immediately delighted to have company. He got up and came over, saying hi with his friendly grunts. He sniffed and licked my hand and seemed happy for some face time.
HollyApproaching Tasha’s den the snow was melting in the 50 degree heat, but the crust was so sturdy and after the early warm spell followed by cold weather that I could still walk on top of it. I didn’t see any tracks of her. I snapped a couple pictures of the den, outside and in. It didn’t look that comfortable inside with the rocks, but it was what she wanted. Later this afternoon, a Lily Fan caught 10 minutes of video of her in action. https://youtu.be/yN5XQs56VbU. I asked Sharon where she thought Tasha might be bedding, and she said it was likely in the direction Tasha headed into the woods yesterday.
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| Lucky | Tasha's den from the outside | Inside Tasha's den |
As I was leaving, Holly and Lucky out were watching what I was doing. Tasha’s den is within view of their pen. It was nice to see how relaxed these two bears are with each other. In saying hi to Lucky, I licked his nose. He sometimes gives a tiny lick back, but without the enthusiasm Ted shows. Licking like that is the ultimate greeting and bonding activity among black bears. I remember when Ted and Lucky exchanged their first licks and became play buddies for years.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center