Elves and More Chapter 1
November 20, 2010 – 6:59 PM CST
The Bear Center Elves have been busy filling orders! They surprised us with this picture today and we just had to share. They pose with some of the merchandise they will ship to you on Monday. Thank you! From left to right are: Managing Director and Bear Curator Donna Andrews (The Geode); Dr. Ella Ingram, a professor of Ecology on sabbatical for a year to work with Program Director Sharon Herrell; Jason Sawyer, the computer genius who will be doing much of the day to day maintenance of the den cams (Lily and Hope’s and Ted and Lucky’s); Sonja Stacey, our valuable office manager; John Leonard, cashier and maintenance supervisor; and Lora DeWeese, lead cashier at the front desk. All are part of what we call our “Miracle Team.”
The deer season ends tomorrow evening. That means it’s almost time to get out and see if any of the bears have changed dens.
With so little bear news, the only thing we can do is again include a couple paragraphs from today’s (unedited) progress on Chapter 1.
One of the experiences that helped me trust bears happened in early September 1985. It was during an early attempt to walk with bears. It was an exception to charging mothers stopping at the usual 20 feet, and it gave me my biggest bear scare.
I was tagging along with a moderately receptive mother and cubs. The family became accustomed enough to me that I found myself among the cubs while the mother foraged 35 yards away. Something spooked the cubs. They yelled and leaped for trees. The mother came running—at me. No bluster. She meant business. I tried to run backwards but immediately tripped. As I fell backward, I hit her in the head with my camera and kicked her in the chin. She never flinched. She stood over me with a narrowed muzzle and partly open mouth. I lay facing her with a pounding heart, probably smelling of fear, watching her eyes for her next move. She never touched me. After a few long seconds, she walked over and checked her cubs.
When I got up, I felt safe. If she hadn’t attacked me then, when would she ever? I trailed along snapping pictures 20-30 feet away for a couple hours until the family came to a big red pine and took a nap.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center