June's image woven into a throw As we await the final okay to bring the new little female bear into Minnesota, people are suggesting names for her. We remember the name Lucky being suggested by visitor after visitor as they learned his story of being granted life in the Bear Center’s big forested enclosure, complete with a swimming pool and free food, but we can’t think of a similar name for the new little female.
Lucky became a playmate for Ted, and we suspect the same will be true for this cub, but we can’t think of a name related to being a playmate.
We often name bears after bear foods, but we’ve used up the most obvious ones.
It’s the Holiday season, and the words Holly Jolly Christmas come to mind, along with Angel, Mistletoe, Ornament, and Tinsel, but only Holly seems appropriate of those. We like the name Angel, too, but it’s too soon to know this bear’s personality.
Lynn likes the names of his granddaughters but is hesitant to pick one granddaughter’s name over another.
We’re gravitating toward Holly unless someone thinks of a better one.
Regretfully, there will be no den cam in Lily’s den this year. The new owner of the land needed for the den shed has chosen not to participate in the project. We respect their decision but are nevertheless disappointed to lose this fifth year of observing the same bear and comparing her behavior under different circumstances from year to year.
Alternatives are limited. Jewel and Aster are in the state park. Faith is inaccessible. Ursula is apt to leave her den if disturbed. And Star doesn’t know us well. We’re leaning toward focusing on Juliet. Of course, we’ll monitor the new little female.
We’re also exploring another possibility. As we say in the Den Cam paper, “Comparative studies are needed to determine how activities in dens vary by region, body condition, and species among bears of the same sex and reproductive status.” It would be interesting to monitor the den of a possibly pregnant female in another state. The situation currently under consideration would not include the months without human disturbance we have achieved with our wild Den Cams. However, we know it would reveal new information that would be a revelation to anyone who watches—students, Lily Fans, the public, and wildlife officials.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center