It's a GIRL! - UPDATE February 4, 2010
February 4, 2010 - 8:04 PM CST
It’s a GIRL! At least until the cub proves us wrong. The video footage captured last night gave us a good look at the cub’s belly and it’s pretty conclusive. The little lump between the legs says ‘female’, and we couldn’t see a lump higher on the belly that would make it a male. We’re also trying to take into account how much we really want it to be a female. A male would move away at 1 or 2 years of age, but a female will stick around for the rest of her life. When their brothers are moving elsewhere, young females are setting up territories nearby—like Lily did a couple years ago. With this female cub, we can study her relationship with her mother Lily and her Grandmother June (age 9) and her Great-Grandmother Shadow (age 20) for years to come. We’ll keep you updated as long as there's interest.
We hear your desire for more Lily memorabilia. We’re working on pictures, mugs, mouse pads, refrigerator magnets, etc. We apologize for the length of time it’s taking us to do this and how long it’s taking to get all the t-shirts out. We’re excited at how nice her 8x10 picture came out. It’s the usual picture of her we all know so well and love—with her gentle eyes and dirt on her nose from digging the den. The light on her face is soft and flattering. Her eyes came out about as nice as any we’ve ever photographed. The photo is from a 1080P high-def video, and we are very impressed with the sharpness.
We’re over 90 percent sure Lily’s cub is a girl—which makes naming it easier. Many of you responded to our earlier request for names. We held off making a decision and we’re glad we waited. During that period of indecision, the largest food chain in the mid-west, Cub Foods, offered to sponsor a ‘Name the Cub Contest’ to help publicize the North American Bear Center. The winner will get $500 in Cub Foods Gift Cards. The Cub Foods advertising, concentrated in the five-state area where most of the visitors to the North American Bear Center come from, could make a big difference to our effectiveness for years to come. Stay tuned for more on this ‘Name the Cub Contest’ in the days ahead. The Lily Den Cam and your interest are making a big difference for bears and for the North American Bear Center.
Thank you to all who made a special effort to boost us up over $50,000 last night and then over $51,000 today!
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American Bear Center