8:30 PM and All’s Well
June 5, 2010 – 8:30 PM CDT
We saw Hope twice today and she’s strong and healthy. She’s a very different cub than she was just a week ago when we were so worried about her. Then Lily’s milk had dried up and Hope was failing. Now she has regained most of her strength and is active, playful, and staying safe high in trees when she needs to. We received a radio-collar for her today and are working at establishing the trust we need to put it on her.
We also saw Lily but not close enough to examine her. She was on a mission. She wasn’t interested in food. She ignored “It’s me, bear.” Instead, she quickly went about sniffing branches, tree trunks, the ground, and the air. As she walked, she held her head high, biting the air as bears do when they want maximum information. When biting the air, they are using the vomeronasal organ in the roof of their mouth in addition to the nose. She ignored us, moved down a hill, crossed a beaver dam, and disappeared. She is covering areas outside her territory as well as within her territory but has not been back to the area where she left Hope.
We wanted to examine her for signs of estrus as a clue to her travels. Is she searching for a male or exploring possibilities for territorial expansion? Next year, she could have two or three cubs and will need plenty of space to forage.
Recent newspaper articles have questioned our research and motives. With popularity comes criticism—it’s a given. David Garshelis has worked long and hard for endangered bears around the world. In light of his statements to the newspapers, perhaps he could use the Bear Center’s popularity for the benefit of endangered bears. We’ve long wanted to incorporate his knowledge about endangered Asian bears into the Bear Center and approached him about it before.
This could be a win-win situation. It won’t take away from our efforts to foster an understanding of the bears that live among us here in North America, but rather it will add a dimension we have wanted. The information would also go onto bear.org where it would have increased visibility. Thanks to Lily’s fans and many students, troops, and wildlife officials, our website has had 6,307,090 visits since we placed the Den Cam on January 8, 2010. This compares with 195,306 visits for the same period in 2009. Our simple research project to learn about den behavior miraculously turned into a major educational opportunity that is helping the Bear Center expand its mission.
Thank you for your contributions to the matching opportunity!
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American Bear Center