A cub pokes its nose out! - Feb 22, 2012Peace reigns once again in Lucky and Honey’s den, but they’ve switched places. Now Lucky is by the door with access to snow to eat. The big question from Lily fans is how long before Honey wants a walk and a bite of snow and what will she do. It’s good to see them quiet today.
Jewel's footpad - Feb 22, 2012Jewel gave a good look at her left hind foot today, showing that 80% of her old dark foot pad has sloughed off, revealing the lighter new, tender foot pad for this year. Old Lily fans know all about that process from the January 11, 2011 update at http://tinyurl.com/11-Jan-2011 and the journal article at http://tinyurl.com/Shedding-Foot-Pads which shows a clearer picture of the shedding.
A video of Jewel and cubs from yesterday is posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiLnbro5lcM.
Faith yawns with a long tongue - Feb 22, 2012After their active day yesterday, Lily and Faith mostly rested today. They have changed positions in the den—with Faith being the one most visible now. Lily slept hard today. Faith used her for a pillow as she cuddled close and nursed from time to time.
We were sad to hear that our friend Betsy Knight died at 73. We remember her as kind, energetic and dedicated. She knew wild animals well enough to love their different personalities, and she pioneered the rehabilitation of orphaned Florida black bear cubs. Back in 1985, she overcame great official resistance to the idea of rehabilitating bear cubs. Officials believed they would become used to humans and would not survive in the wild. They let her try it on a one-time basis. The cubs were released into the Ocala National Forest and thrived. Another misconception replaced by facts—at least in Florida. Kudos to the Florida officials who took a chance and changed their policies based on data rather than clinging to a widespread misconception. Betsy raised 43 more of them in her lifetime. She put her heart and soul into it. Two years ago, she helped the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission craft protocols that have produced four bear rehabilitation facilities around the state. She also gave many presentations to schools to bring awareness of the environment and its wild inhabitants. We treasure the time we’ve spent with her.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center