While changing batteries in Lily’s GPS unit today, we added an indestructible 2" wide piece of extremely bright stiff plastic with reflective strips that will be highly visible (picture). It can be seen sticking out on the right side of the picture.
In an attempt to radio-collar Hope, we tried and failed again a few days ago and then asked 2 top dog trainers if they would try. They were extremely skillful and sensitive. Hope responded well with us beside her, but she still wouldn’t accept the collar. Next, we got a tip from a Lily fan about a top animal trainer. We gave her a call and asked what we could do. She gave very good advice. She obviously knew what she was talking about. We were encouraged to hear her suggest exactly what we already doing.
It is interesting to see Hope’s mind work. She is relaxed when we are not holding a collar. She notices the collar as soon as it is visible. You saw ‘the look’ she gave the collar in the picture a few days ago—priceless.
Our only hope is to catch her so hungry that she lets her guard down for a few seconds as happened twice this summer so far. If we get it on this late in the year, we won’t have to adjust it before she goes into hibernation and begins losing weight. However, a problem every time we put it on is that if we put it tight enough that it won’t come off, she balks big time. Each time, it went on looser than we’d like and she took it off pronto. Last year, when she was a cub, on about the hundredth try that night we got it on, we got it on looser than seemed right. But her head at that age was so much bigger than her neck that it stayed on—more like a necklace at first than a collar. It turned out to be perfect. We removed it in fall because the batteries in that little collar would expire over winter, so there was no sense having her wear it in the den.
If she accepts it in a moment of weakness in the next few days, we hope she will also let us attach ribbons to it. She may not look at ribbons the same way she does a collar. Several other bears have refused to let us put collars on them. That’s why Shadow, RC, Bow, Pete, and a few others that would otherwise be part of the study are not wearing them. Shadow, RC, and Bow each wore collars for awhile but decided not to wear them anymore. Those bears make us thankful for the bears that will wear them and ignore them and provide amazing data.
Again, you registered more votes for Soudan Underground Mine State Park at http://m.livepositively.com/park_details.jsp?parkId=556 than any other park, outvoting the number one park 50,856 to 50,175 with 12 days to go. Such voting is a strong statement about the power and devotion of Lily fans and your desire to help the area where they live. We hope people will respect what the radio-collared bears bring to this area when bear hunting season begins in a week. We appreciate all you are doing on this.
We appreciated your additional orders of the 3-DVD collector’s set ($24.95) “Lily and Hope: Memories of 2010” at http://www.bear.org/website/gift-shop.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images.tpl&product_id=855. Today’s sales make a total of 49 sold so far.
In upcoming updates, with school starting, we will be talking more about the Education Outreach Program.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center