Sleepy cubTed and Lucky made our hearts sing! What a contrast from last year. The staff have been saying Lucky is different this year. Today he proved it during his first walk in the enclosure. He visited Ted. Last year, the two skirmished through the fence with vocalizations and bluster. Today, Ted responded with his usual moan of fear but not nearly as strong as before. Lucky said nothing. He remained at the fence and extended his tongue in a gesture of friendship. Ted approached the fence and responded in kind. Their tongues touched, or nearly so.
Juliet and cubDuring his jaunt, Lucky also proceeded to drag Holly’s Den Cam 20 feet from her den, climb 4 trees, and cool off in the pond.
Nose to noseWatching it all with Bear Curator Judy Thon was our USDA inspector who spent hours checking the details of our operation. She remarked about the bears’ daily activities, the good care, and our meticulous record-keeping. Her final thought? We far exceed USDA expectations.
Cub licks snow off Juliet's furBoth Lily and Aster barely moved on this snowy day. Overnight, Lily circumnavigated the wetland she had moved to yesterday—but she stayed put once the snow began falling in earnest. Aster remains relatively near her den.
Juliet blows and swatsBlustery behavior from Juliet caught our attention today. Her nervousness was predicated by what we believe were yips and yaps of nearby coyotes. We suspect the lunges, swats, blows, and jaw-clacking we observed between 10:09 AM and 10:40 AM may have been in response to nosey coyotes around her den. The 3-6 inches of snow predicted for tonight will eliminate the possibility of finding tracks to confirm our suspicions.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center