Jewel in her den - Dec 27, 2011We approached Jewel’s den saying the usual, “It’s me bear.” Tracks 5 feet outside the den showed that she was out yesterday when it was nearly 40 degrees. She was alert in the den but showed no alarm. We had visited her at this same den last year to remove her collar and she had come out to accommodate us. Though we didn’t see much of her this past summer, she’s familiar enough with us to not be scared. We’re old hat. This time, it was a brief visit to snap a picture to help determine how to anchor a Den Cam.
Jewel's den - Dec 27, 2011Although we haven’t given up on a Den Cam in Juliet’s den, we scouted out 2-year-old Jewel’s den to assess the possibility of installing a Den Cam there. A Den Cam in Jewel’s den will not accomplish what we need—which is to see how an experienced mother gives birth and cares for her cubs. Juliet is about to have her fourth litter and she is the best choice for a Den Cam at this time. Jewel may possibly have her first litter this winter. We plan to set up the Den Cam in the next couple weeks at Jewel’s den and move it to Juliet’s den if we get permission. We are still hopeful.
With 3 cams this year we need all the den-watchers we can get! If you are interested in volunteering to record observations of behaviors in the den fill out the form here http://tinyurl.com/den-watcher. We train!
Meanwhile, as we see rumors and misconceptions being spread by a few to create problems for our research, we are doubly thankful for those who are here to watch and learn from the bears themselves and work for positive results going forward.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center