Herbie and Fern alone in the den - March 23, 2012We were a bit surprised when we looked up Hope’s first excursion out of the den for last night’s update and found it was March 21—yet Herbie and Fern haven’t ventured out yet. One possible reason Hope followed Lily out so early is she was a lone cub. Fern and Herbie have each other to reduce the anxiety of being separated from Jewel. We remember well how lone Hope screamed when Lily left the den, but we see Jewel’s cubs mostly quiet and content when she leaves the den. But how can we really know the minds of bears other than seeing patterns repeated in different bear families?
Jewel paws at her collar - March 23, 2012Jewel is still pawing at her new collar—trying to get it off. She isn’t as used to wearing a collar as Lily. Jewel spent most of last summer uncollared, and it’s only a stroke of good luck that we managed to collar her last fall. As Sue and Linda Gibson were leaving the field station late one night, they realized the bear in the yard was Jewel. They managed to get a collar on her—making the Den Cam possible.
The weather has cooled some and it looks like we have more ‘seasonal’ weather ahead—nights will be below freezing. This will slow the progression of spring and some bears that left their dens may return to them or find a place to ‘hole up’ until spring foods become available.
Herbie and Jewel - March 23, 2012
Lily and Faith surprised us today by crawling back into their den. We switched from the outside PTZ camera to the inside Den Cam in time to see them inside and assess the new Den Cam view which looks down on their bed. Their visit was brief, but they are obviously still nearby and could return to the den if needed.
Today, Sue was wondering how we can ever thank the mods enough for all they do. She was telling how mods step up to cover periods they find without coverage on Lily’s Facebook page and the Pond Chat. We also heard from a Lily fan about the effort and respect mods are putting into their work. Many people are working hard in many ways to help bears through the Wildlife Research Institute and the North American Bear Center, but we can’t help but feel grateful all the time for the often thankless and lonely dedication shown by the mods.
Jewel and cubs - March 23, 2012Another thing we are thankful for is the talented people who have stepped forward to develop a coordinated Volunteer Program and for the people who are submitting applications to help. This is so key to the success of the Education Outreach Program and function of the Bear Center and Research. We hope you know how much your support has helped change the face of our learning and sharing about bears.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center