And we’re not talking about this update. Strong winds the last 2 days brought trees down across the Research Center driveway, across the nature trails at the Bear Center, and onto the fence around the bear enclosure there. It also meant over a day without electricity, Internet, and email—and no update last night. Late this afternoon, the sky cleared and the wind subsided. Phew.
Late yesterday there was interesting action in the bear world. According to the GPS locations sent to our computer, June and her 2 cubs were within 50 feet of Lily and her family around 4:30 PM. They then both moved a mile and a half back to the ‘contested clover patch’ where they arrived within minutes of each other and took up positions about 295 yards apart at 7:40 PM. Interestingly June was in the eastern portion of the patch and Lily was in the western portion—just as they were the last time they were both in the patch. Video taken of Lily and family foraging in logs is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3uDjNrfbD8.
Today we replaced Juliet’s GPS unit and found her calm, alone, and without swollen genitals. Could her mating season be over already?
We also saw RC’s 5-year-old daughter Bow for the first time this year. She has 2 new cubs—a male and a female—both with small white chest blazes. The female is pictured above.
Jo has been spending time along forest roads where she is likely foraging on the lush vegetation that grows in open areas.
Now with electronics back to normal, we are able to write this update, but we are reminded that Lynn, his wife Donna, and Sue are going to Anchorage, Alaska, June 6-11 for Lynn to give an invited talk at the Diversionary Feeding Workshop hosted by Defenders of Wildlife for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The purpose of the workshop is to provide participants with information regarding the potential use of diversionary feeding as a management tool for reducing human-polar bear conflicts in Alaska. That means no updates while we are away.
We’ll face another dearth of updates July 16-23 when we will be in Ottawa, Ontario, for an invited talk at the 20th International Conference on Bear Research and Management hosted by the International Bear Association. Updates are like writing to family—writing to people who know these bears and share our passion for learning and sharing.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center