We think all the bears are okay, but we are in the process of checking on some and we are waiting for a visual on Donna so we can put her radio-collar and ribbons back on.
Lily and family are on the move so they are fine. We and the volunteers are monitoring her by telemetry and trying to intercept her to get her GPS unit working again. Same for Braveheart. We replaced Jo's GPS unit today and captured this upclose and personal picture of her.
We checked on Juliet early this morning and twisted her collar so the GPS unit is on top and transmitting regularly. She is pregnant, big, and will enter a den soon. The last time she was pregnant, in 2009, she arrived at her den at about this time. We hope she remains where she is over the weekend before she makes a move to a den. We worry more when they are on the move and possibly more visible, especially during weekends when hunting pressure is greatest.
We are thankful the volunteers are here working responsibly and hard. When the bears are in safe locations, the volunteers chip away at a work list. Working together, they accomplish a lot in a short time. Many hands make light work, even if it’s hard work. One thing keeping them fueled is the good food you send every day. The smells are drifting past at this moment!
An email today said the world’s oldest panda bear died in China at the age of 34. If we had sources to cite, a list of the oldest ages ever recorded for each of the eight species of bears might be a nice little poster for the “Bears of the World” exhibit at the North American Bear Center. Is that anything a Lily fan might find? It would be good to know whether the bear was captive or wild and any dates or locations available. If one or two people do it, we can say “Compiled by xxx and xxx.” If many participate, we can give credit as “Compiled by Lily fans.” After all you have done, it would be nice to see Lily fans recognized here and there. Send the information to
The 8 species of bears are
1. Andean bear, also called spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus)
2. American black bear (Ursus americanus)
3. Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus)
4. Panda bear (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
5. Polar bear (Ursus maritimus)
6. Brown bear (Ursus arctos)
7. Sun bear (Ursus malayanus)
8. Sloth bear (Ursus ursinus or sometimes called Melursus ursinus)
Perhaps as a start, the oldest black bear we ever heard of is a wild female being studied by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. She is 37 years old and counting. The oldest one in our 44 years of study was a wild female that was shot at the age of 29 ¾. She produced cubs at the age of 26 but never had a good food year to get fat enough to have more after that. When she was 29, food was abundant, and we were looking forward to seeing if she would have cubs when she was shot that fall.
The oldest brown bear we ever heard of was a captive female that produced cubs at 41 years of age and was euthanized at 44 at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, according to the director of the zoo.
And the Internet said that “the oldest known polar bear in the Arctic lived 32 years and the oldest known polar bear in a zoological park lived 45 years.” If there was a source for that other than the Internet, it would be better.
It was nice to see the good article on bears and visiting the North American Bear Center at http://www.duluthsuperiormagazine.com/September-2011/Visiting-The-Bear-Center/#.Tmko5WimX6Q.gmail .
It was also nice to see your well informed comments below T. R.’s blog last night. Someone who didn’t have a clue made some uninformed comments, and you kept him honest.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center