Lily Lily and cubs will be wet again. By 5:42 PM, 5 ¾ inches of heavy wet snow had fallen—more moisture for plumping berries this summer. The next 3 days are forecast to be about 40F. Lily was right to gather more bedding and wait out this storm. The latest she has remained at a den so far is April 7—except when she was a cub with her mother June. That year (2007), they left the den on April 16. Lily’s cubs this year continue to amaze us with their strength and agility and ability to stand on two legs already.
Lily's den covered with new snowSpeaking of wetness, 2007 was the year of soaked dens. A week of temperatures as high as 71F melted all the snow (14 inches) and flooded June and her cubs (Lily and her siblings) out of their den. We found them all sitting outside on March 25 (http://tinyurl.com/water-in-den). Over the next week, the den dried out, and they went back inside until mid April. 2007 was also the year Donna’s den in a lowland flooded with the unusual snowmelt and one of her cubs was lost.
Cub returns covered with snowAfter being outside much of yesterday, Jewel and family spent most of the day in their den during today’s heavy snowfall.
Lily licks snow off cubAt the Bear Center, Ted and Lucky stayed in their dens. Honey switched dens yesterday, leaving the cement bunker she used for the winter to take up residence in the wooden den with the open back toward the viewing windows. She made one sashay out to ask for food (half a head of romaine lettuce and 2 carrots) and return to the den. The den is familiar to her after spending a winter there a few years back.
Eli just hanging outVerizon posted a nice plug for the Den Cams at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78rEZJtqi-k.
Climbing cubThank you for all your supportive comments as we deal with the dilemma of Ted and Lucky’s changing relationship. Many thoughtful comments. We know it’s an emotional time as we consider options. Everyone wants the very best for the physical and emotional health of these personable, beloved individuals.
Life in the denWhen the contest to guess the weights of Ted, Honey, and Lucky ended at 5:30 PM, there were many close guesses.
Eli chews logTed, the biggest loser, lost 18.8% between November 20, 2012 (670 pounds) and April 5, 2013 (544 pounds), losing 126 pounds in 136 days for an average loss of .926 pound per day. Ted had the most exposed den but the most favorable surface to mass ratio. He lost 0.138% of his bodyweight per day on the average. Richard Hanna guessed within a pound at 545.
Camera inspectorHoney lost 18.3% between November 19, 2012 (476 pounds), and April 1, 2013 (389 pounds), losing 87 pounds in 133 days for an average loss of .654 pound per day. Honey also lost 0.137% of her bodyweight per day on the average. Pond Chatter Taughtbybears was right on with 389.
Inspector calls for backupLucky lost only 15.9% between October 27, 2012 (433 pounds) and April 1, 2013 (364 pounds), losing 69 pounds in 156 days for an average loss of only .442 pound per day. He had the most protected den. He lost only 0.102% of his bodyweight per day on the average. Julie Loop was right on with a guess of 364.
Eli tries out his teethTo claim your prizes, contact a Pond Chat Moderator or send an email to
We're playing catch-up with videos again. Some footage from April 4 just has to be shared—Part I http://youtu.be/lCMDgr5lKkQ and Part II http://youtu.be/kd4Boj5fcao. There will be 3 videos from today, but only 2 of the 3 are ready now—Part I http://youtu.be/krLBPmcMM-o and Part II http://youtu.be/uqbaZrfkTnc. Check http://youtube.com/bearstudy later for Part III of today's videos.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.