Lily and Hope are spending more and more time away from the den, leaving the cubs alone. Mostly the cubs are content and entertain themselves by exploring close to the den and practicing their climbing skills. Lily and Hope both come quickly when the cubs get fussy (though not quick enough for some of us…). However, we were all surprised today when Lily apparently came back to nurse Faith and Jason but got up and left as soon as Hope arrived. Seems she did not want to nurse Hope and the cubs were ‘shorted’ as a result.
About 4 PM the cubs both began to cry in hunger. Lily came to check on them but left without nursing them. They kept fussing and suddenly Faith decided she was going to find Mom. She headed out faster than the slow-to-respond PTZ camera could keep up with. When we finally got her ‘in frame’ she was off in the distance with Lily. Jason remained at the den and continued to scream. Faith headed back in his direction and then back towards Lily. She seemed unsure which way to go but finally returned to Jason. Together they headed off towards Lily just as she was heading for them. She greeted them and tugged on Jason, pulling him away from the den. She then ran off with Hope at her heals, leaving a bewildered Jason behind. He eventually returned to the den. What was that all about?
We have seen that behavior before. When June was leading Lily, Cal, and Bud away from their den on April 16, 2007, she behaved in a similar manner. She got the cubs moving by running. She ran and they scampered after her. If they got hung up she would come back to offer encouragement, but then hurry off again. Young cubs tend to be very curious and dawdle, but when the ‘milk wagon’ takes off they generally aren’t far behind! However, Faith and Jason are 2 weeks younger than June’s cubs were and they’re not able to follow as well.
They are making huge progress each day though. Today Faith climbed 5-6 feet up one of the willows and Jason practiced walking (and falling off) the cam tube again. They are doing great.
Where are Lily and Hope going and what are they doing? They seem to be foraging in the thicker woods nearby where the snow is not as deep. Most likely foraging on snowfleas and grubs. We watched Hope pulling and tearing at a log. Grubs are one of the first foods available in spring. They will work hard to get a few small grubs. They also may be climbing to get catkins or buds, but we haven’t heard the familiar ‘claws on bark’ sound of bears climbing. Only branches breaking and logs ripping.
Several times lately, people have seen Hope be rough in her play with the cubs followed by a cub falling into a deep sleep like it was dead. That happened again today. We’re learning that when exhausted cubs sleep, they can be nudged and tugged and continue the ‘sleep of the dead.’ No wonder people were worried. Now, after a day of play and exploration, they are ending the day with what seemed to be in short supply—nursing. I think everyone heaved a sigh of relief when they all returned to the den and Lily settled in to nurse the cubs and Hope.
Janice Edens sent the edited book of your Bear Tales to see what to do next. We’re not sure whether to find a publisher or self-publish it through the Bear Center. We have no experience in this. The book is your stories of bear encounters. We think they would make good bedtime stories. They are short. They are benign, and they are real. They make a good counter to the sensationalized TV programs and books that play on our fears to get viewers and sales.
The 17,000 votes you registered today has Ely knocking on the door of 5th place in the Readers Digest contest. The site for casting 10 votes (all at once) a day is http://wehearyouamerica.readersdigest.com/town.jsp?town=ELY&state=MN.
Please check for recent ‘bearstudy’ video uploads on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/bearstudy#g/u.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center