Honey at rock denAt 12:57 PM CDT, spring arrived. Honey spent late morning plowing through snow to explore and the afternoon trying out the rock den she shared with Lucky the winter of 2008-2009. Will she spend the rest of this spring in this new den or the one she has used all winter? We’ll watch and see.
Holly looks outLittle Holly was active at her den entrance but hasn’t braved the deep snow yet. Melting will start in 7-9 days according to the 10-day forecast. Can the snow keep her in that long?
Lucky has not been out of his den since October 24, and he was not about to come out today. The big mound in front of his entrance may seem daunting at this point.
Lucky's denTed didn’t come out either. Excitement is mounting as spring approaches. We’ll be glad when the snow melts, the bears come out, and we see how Holly and the other three respond to each other.
Ted in his denFor Lynn, it’s been a great time of spending time with family and getting back to basics with Donna, daughter Colleen (almost 32), and grandkids Heinrik (4), and little Gabrielle (almost 3). Eating, swimming, and a scary dark water slide were last night. A train museum and other adventures were today. Fun. The turmoil and confusion of the legal battles seemed distant for all that time.
Gabrielle at dinnerBreakfast was interesting as Colleen told about her time in Ethiopia as a missionary back in 2005. She told a story of diversionary feeding of hyenas that is backed up by written reports. She said that when hyenas began killing people and livestock in the town of Harar (also spelled Harrar) in 1960, elders of the town decided to feed them to see if that would stop the killings. 
Heinrik at train museumShe said it did and the practice continued. People named the hyenas and fed them from their lips. She said the town stands out for its lack of attacks and its peaceful coexistence with hyenas. A Los Angeles Times article from 2010 tells more at http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/31/world/la-fg-harar-hyenas-20100731. Much more on human-hyena relations in Ethiopia can be accessed by Googling “Hyenas Harar” and “Hyenas Adis Ababa” and “Hyenas Maalka Raafu.” There is much more to this story.
A fun and interesting day with family.
Juliet's den is getting more entertaining by the day. The cubs are beginning to explore and play with each other as well as with Juliet. Most of the time it is when Juliet is trying to sleep. She is patient, just like Lily and Jewel were with their cubs. Here are some photos from the day.
 Cub rests on Juliet's paw |
 Juliet looks out |
 Chubby cub |
 Juliet and cub |
 Cub bites Juliet |
 Juliet and cub |
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center