What to look and listen for - UPDATE January 16, 2010
January 16, 2010 - 1:06 PM CST
We keep looking and listening for cubs, spurred by reports from viewers. The cubs will have sparse fur that shows the light gray skin. They weigh only a pound, not like the 5-pound cubs in the introductory picture on the screen. The cubs will whine. Lily will respond by snuggling them under her, tucking her head under her chest to bear on them, and shifting so they can reach her nipples. We don’t believe Lily has cubs yet, based on her behavior and the lack of cub sounds.
The introductory picture is of a different family, photographed March 19, 1972. It shows how Lily’s cubs could look at 2 months of age when their eyes are open and they are more active.
We saw wonderful creativity in your suggestions for t-shirts. The picture we’ll use is the one you’ve seen of her face with the gentle eyes and the bit of dirt on her nose from digging the den. It’s the one on the home page of bear.org. We’re thinking of 3 word options: ‘I (heart) Lily’, ‘I’m a Lily fan’, and ‘I was held captive by Lily’ for over the picture. Underneath will be Ely, Minnesota and www.bear.org. The whole thing will be fairly small in the left breast pocket area.
A big thank you to all who are donating to support the den camera and reduce the North American Bear Center's $700,000 debt. —Lynn Rogers, Ph.D.