Ted walks carefully in existing tracksFor years, Ted and Lucky played daily—wild, fun, trusting play. Little Lucky would stand up against big sitting Ted to roll him on his back and climb on him for fun, rough play. But as Lucky matured, his attitude towards Ted changed.
In 2011, Ted was on the scale with his back to Lucky. Lucky bit him hard—hard enough so Ted become wary of him. Ted was careful not to turn his back on Lucky after that. In 2012, Ted was eating in front of the windows and Lucky charged him from maybe 50 feet away, bowling Ted over, getting on him, and biting at his head and neck. Ted was very wary after that and spent a lot of time in the safety of his wooden den by the windows. When he was out resting with his forelegs on his big log, he began doing it facing the pond and forest (Lucky’s direction) rather than facing the building to watch the people watch him.
Ted weighs inAlthough we found no injuries after Lucky got Ted down, we know from our own judgment and that of Else Poulsen and others that we have to take Ted and Lucky’s changing relationship seriously and do something. Our main consideration, as always, is the mental and physical health of the bears.
Lucky is now 6 years old and fully mature. From our studies of wild bears we know mature males emerge from their dens with near peak testosterone levels that will remain high until after mating season ends in July [McMillin, J. M., U. S. Seal, L. L. Rogers, and A. W. Erickson. 1976. Annual testosterone rhythm in the black bear (Ursus americanus). Biology of Reproduction 15:163-167.]. Lucky is now scent-marking trees. He is rolling in the snow near Ted’s den, which is likely another form of scent-marking.
Eli licks Ellie's earTed is scared. He’s showing defensive behaviors he’s never exhibited before. We’re talking to a wide range of experts to learn what has worked for them in similar circumstances. Their thoughts mesh with ours. We’ve also heard from some who are demanding that we let Ted roam, which would mean letting Ted and Lucky have it out with each other. That would not be a fair fight. Young, agile Lucky has canine teeth. Ted doesn’t.
Eli and EllieElse Poulsen said the results of not taking the warning signs we’ve seen seriously is too often a dead bear. We’re keeping Ted and Lucky separate for now. This will give Ted some peace as we continue to explore various options. We’re also proceeding to fence off a portion of the enclosure as fast as the frozen ground lets us.
EliToday, the staff locked Lucky up, opened Ted’s door, and called his name. Ted was still lethargic. He hesitantly ventured into the snow, sniffing the air and looking around. He found a set of tracks, either Lucky’s or Honey’s, and stepped in them all the way to the scale. Then he headed back to his den, following a set of Honey’s tracks most of the way. He was very careful how he stepped in each track.
Ellie and EliThat means we now have weights on all three bears. We called the Ted-Honey-Lucky Weight Contest leaders for instructions. They said to give people a final day to enter their best guesses and then announce the weights and winners in tomorrow’s update. To enter, go to http://tinyurl.com/NABC-Bear-Weight-Contest. If you do not have a Facebook account, email
Eli and EllieLily left her den today, but only to bring in more bedding and retrieve cubs. She dragged into her den the remaining balsam boughs we’d placed around the Den Cam tube as well as a plastic bag we’d used to keep snow out of the end of the tube. She then proceeded to shred it all, dig out her existing bedding, and then rake in both the new and old bedding—burying most of the white plastic bag.
Ellie and EliEllie and Eli are still fighting over nipples. The favored ones are the ones on Lily’s left side—the ones Faith used. But fights don’t seem to be restricted to only those nipples. It seems they both want it all. We’ve seen mothers end nursing and walk away when fights flare up once they leave the den. You commonly hear of mother bears cuffing their cubs to keep them in line, but it’s something we seldom see. Mother bears discipline their cubs in more subtle ways. A video of the cubs nursing yesterday is posted at http://youtu.be/1MgPsPDgo6c and one of their wee-hours escapades earlier that day is posted at http://youtu.be/w331KXQU8u0.
Look carefully...what do you see?Jewel and her cubs frolicked outside their den again today and roamed a bit further than yesterday. However, they were quick to dive back into the den over perceived threats. They spent time around trees with their nose to the ground. We remembered following June and her yearlings through snow in 2007. Snow melts quicker around the base of trees. The bears went from tree to tree licking up snowfleas. We wonder if Jewel and her yearlings are finding a few snowfleas already.
On a totally ‘nother subject, a few volunteers are needed as Pond Chat Moderators and for the Bear Facts and Fun Team now that vacations are being scheduled. New volunteers are needed for Saturday evening slots for the Bear Facts and Fun (BFF) Team, and Pond Chat Moderators and needed for weekend and evening slots. Position descriptions and volunteer applications are available at www.bear.org/website/volunteer.html. If a current volunteer would like to apply, it's not necessary to submit another application. S/he can just notify Myra, the volunteer coordinator, of their interest at
Thank you for all you do to make this wonderful group of Lily Fans what it is.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.