Holly checks out new scentsTwo days ago (April 2), we saw the first chipmunk, an Eastern Chipmunk, scampering around on the surface of over 2 feet of snow. On the same day, the Bear Center staff looked for tracks outside the dens, and Holly made her first walk around her little enclosure. Honey has been taking walks for a couple weeks.
Honey content in her denA local resort reported a bear sighting recently, but we haven’t heard of any others. The snow is still too deep for most bears to be moving much. Last year with deep snow, Lily and cubs stayed at their den until April 23. The year before, with an early melt, Lily and yearlings were out March 23.
Ted looks out of his denWhen they first come out after months of eating little or nothing except snow, their stomachs have shrunk, they are still in a state of reduced metabolism called “walking hibernation.” Bears vary, but they typically don’t eat much at first. Holly turned down food at first but took a couple grapes today. It doesn’t take much to fill a shrunken stomach. 
Cub #3 sits on JulietThe staff told me today that Honey has gotten 3-4 heads of romaine lettuce and about 9 carrots so far, a little every few days. (Their records have it accurately recorded). She hasn’t been asking for food much, which she does by sitting by the gate. Instead, she has explored other interests. Ted hasn’t stirred.
JulietExcitement seems to be mounting between Holly and Lucky. Lucky hasn’t been out yet, and doesn’t need to; the excitement is through the 4-inch hole between his den and Holly’s den. He is stirring inside his den, as the staff reported today. They could glimpse his head near the entrance behind the big pile of snow that obscures most of the view. One of these days, instead of seeing through a hole darkly, they will see face to face through the fence.
Curious cubsThe picture of Holly taken today shows a bear bigger and heavier than the yearlings we saw in spring in the old study (Rogers 1987) where bears were not fed. However, she is certainly far from Honey’s rotund look that brings admonishments of over-feeding from the veterinarians.
Cubs #1 and Cub #3 exploreThe good documentation of activity and food consumption that the staff keeps for each bear will make interesting comparisons among the Bear Center bears. It will also be interesting to compare those data to wild bears. With Honey starting to roam, we want to shovel off the scale and get a weight on her before she eats much more.
Juliet and Cub #3Juliet has not made a move toward exiting the den despite the good activity and mobility of her cubs. A big melt could change that, but we aren’t expecting her to leave for another week or two and not to be eating much before a month from now.
Juliet's cubs ponderFor the new building, we’ve received taxidermy prices for the 33 items easiest to find. Prices begin at $100 and the complete list is available as a PDF file here. Already delivered are a mountain lion ($500) and a Woodland Caribou ($2,800). We’re not sure how to organize it, but we’d love to put a small engraved plaque saying “Donated by [name]” or “In Memory of [name]” by each of these that someone selects to pay for on a first come, first serve basis. These donations will also go toward the matching $20,000. Call Nadine Long (CST) at 218-235-7520 for more information.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center