Lynn walking out of the woods - Sept 13, 2012We had Internet issues again today at the field station, so it’s been a quiet day for us—which means a short early update for you! All collared bears are accounted for. The bears have had a quiet day as well. Even the mothers with cubs were not roaming today.
When we spend time with mothers and cubs at this time of year, we see lots of resting. At least moms are trying to rest while their cubs are actively engaged in idleness—playing with sticks, pawing the ground, poking each other. We see none of the raucous family play of earlier in the year. All are slowing down. In early October we have recorded resting heart rates as low as 28 per minute for mothers and 44 for cubs.
MPR’s piece on our research is now available online. You can listen to the broadcast and watch a short video at http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/09/19/environment/lynn-rogers-bear-researcher/?refid=0.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center