Braveheart forages along a logging road - May 16, 2012Where have all the mature males gone? One-eyed Jack (Braveheart’s favorite) is often the first bear seen roaming in the spring—usually in early April. No one has seen him. Same with Big Harry (June’s favorite). Others we are waiting to see are Midnight, Shylow, Pete, and Guy. The only mature males we have seen are Loppy, Victor, Krackle, and Burt. Even they seem to have moved on—for the time being at least.
Lily stops for a drink - May 16, 2012Meanwhile, Lily and Braveheart roam in full estrus without attracting males. We checked on them both today when they were near logging roads where it’s easy to see if they are being trailed by a male. Both were alone and foraging—Braveheart on peavine and Lily on wild calla.
All we can do is wait and see. We know anything can happen between last September and now. We will be relieved when Jack and Harry reveal that they have survived another year—and some of the female bears will be too! Each year, these dominant males add another chapter to our data, and each year their records become more valuable in the contexts of their histories.
A video of Jewel and her family taken on May 2 is online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jalQRTtJ10.
Each BBC ‘Wild Earth Live’ episode (or Nat Geo Wild’s ‘24/7 Wild’) is an opportunity to educate. Lily Fans can make new friends and help educate by visiting the BBC Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/BBCPlanetEarthLive and letting them know there is much more information about the bears in the program and about bears in general at bear.org and bearstudy.org. More info can be found at http://www.bear.org/website/planet-earth-live.html.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center