Donna's four cubsWe got a call today that made us grab cameras and drive. It was the first sighting of 13-year-old Donna this year with her cubs, and she has 4 of them—the only litter like that in this 17-year study. One of the things we have been surprised to find was that these bears with access to supplemental food produced litters no larger than other litters in this area. That conflicted with an earlier finding based on a smaller sample size. All previous litters in this study were 1, 2, or 3 cubs. Now with over 66 litters recorded, we finally have one with 4. In similar studies in other areas of black bear range, litters of 5 and 6 have been reported.
DonnaDonna is an especially good-looking bear, with a disposition to match. She sat near the base of the tree, occasionally looking up at the cubs. One of the cubs had a lighter face and perhaps browner fur than the others. We’ll see how its face and fur change through this year.
Donna looks up at cubsJewel’s GPS batteries ran out last night, so we caught up to her in a swamp and swapped out her GPS unit. We wondered if she was with a male. She looked off several times and then just got up and left in that direction. We’ll see what we can learn tomorrow.
Donna's cubs come down and followUrsula’s GPS batteries ran out 3 days ago, but we haven’t been able to get out to her. Today, Jim Stroner connected with her and swapped out her GPS unit. She led him to the tree her cubs were in—the biggest white pine he had ever seen. Humongous! We are thankful for Jim’s help and his photography skills.
Ursula by huge white pineWe’re excited about Charlie Russell coming. He has spent so much time with bears. It will be great to see his public presentation at Vermilion Community College at 7 PM on June 28th (less than 2 weeks away). He draws big crowds with his spectacular presentations and vast experience. He has spent time up close with the rare Spirit Bears in British Columbia and lived with big brown bears, some of which he raised, in Russia. We’ve known and admired Charlie for decades. For more, see http://nabc.eventbrite.com.
Ursula's cubsWe got an email about Charlie today:
“Greetings from Roberts Creek, BC Canada. A couple of years ago Charlie Russell came to the Gibsons Heritage Theater in Gibsons, BC Canada. The theater was packed to the hilt. No one had ever seen him before. He showed a film of the bears he was looking after while living on the Kamchatka Peninsula and you could see how much he loved them. There was not a sound from the audience. … I will never, ever forget his film and visit. …. Charlie was standing by a grand piano in the front hall of the theater to answer questions and talk to people as they left. …. He is a very special person….”
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.