Aster Sue visited Aster today and changed her GPS batteries. The trust that wild bears show toward individuals who have always treated them well is one of the most important things we have learned in our nearly half century of research. It differs so profoundly from the popular opinions that drive bear management. But if those opinions were right, we simply couldn’t go out alone, join a wounded bear, and safely do what we do over and over, year after year. Sue noticed Aster licking and found the bullet’s exit wound on the inner side of Aster’s leg is still oozing. Aster has licked the hair off in a 4-inch diameter area around the wound. Aster puts her full weight on the leg when she walks but still favors it a bit.
Aster sitting on logAt 9:51 this evening, Juliet will match Lily’s 225 days at a den. For Juliet, that’s from 9:51 PM on September 13 through today April 26.
We looked back through our records to find who came closest to that in this study. It was a 4-year-old female that arrived at a den between October 2 and 6, 1971, gave birth to an unusually small cub, and stayed at the den with the cub until May 7-9, 1972—a total of 214-220 days of denning.
LuckyThe attack by a black bear mother with yearlings in the Florida garage has brought national attention to the danger of bears and will get many bears killed. People will not coexist with animals they fear. Most people believe it is necessary to instill fear of humans in bears to maintain public safety. We echo Charlie Russell’s thoughts that a bear that is too afraid is unusually prone to attack when cornered or startled as happened in a couple instances in which people encountered mothers with cubs in their garages, including the Florida incident. Here in Eagles Nest Community where people have taken an opposite approach, no bear has come after anyone and hurt them. The same safety record holds for the many bears that have learned to trust us. When we are deep in the woods with bears, our only fear is an accident—a stick in the eye, a bee sting, falling in rough terrain, etc. Worrying about bears is furthest from our minds.
Lucky on logToday, Lynn spent several hours at the Bear Center, interacting with the four bears there. Holly is a ball of nerves that we hope will gain confidence in her new surroundings. A person coming from an unfamiliar direction or Lucky cruising by triggers displays of anxiety and climbing as high as she can go in her 8-foot tall pen.
Lucky plays in the pondLucky is the epitome of confidence. He is obviously the dominant bear in the enclosure. He ignores the bluster of nervous Honey and wary Ted. Despite the extension of tongues between Ted and Lucky a few days ago, Ted still moans in apprehension when Lucky comes near his pen. Lucky simply ignores it. As Lucky faced Ted outside Ted’s pen, Ted approached but showed bluster, including a pounce that showed conflicting drives. Lucky didn’t flinch. Ted calmed down, but when Lucky hung around, Ted eventually moaned and retreated into his chalet. We hope these two can establish a truce and both be out together—at least until hyperphagia becomes intense in August and September.
Lucky takes an icy swimAlthough he has gone nearly 7 months with little food, Lucky has boundless energy. He lopes with fluid grace through the forest, climbs tall aspens for no apparent reason, tosses logs for the sheer joy of it, and then lounges in the pond even though it is still half covered with ice.
Lucky tosses logTed’s pleasure comes from people. At the same time he is moaning and keeping an eye on Lucky, he will look toward a human and give his high grunt of pleasure. If the person gets down to his level, Ted will come to the fence and extend his tongue showing good will.
Can animals love? We have long believed it from all that we (and Lily Fans) have seen. We believe it when we see Ted and Honey’s eager reactions to their owner Cindy Fitzgerald. A new study shows that animals have the same release of oxytocin, the “neurochemical of love” that people do http://m.newser.com/story/185888/animals-can-fall-in-love.html.
Lucky up aspenWe ourselves have seen reactions of dogs—also members of the superfamily Canoidea—when they are separated from people or other dogs they are bonded with. The book “When Elephants Weep” has more examples.
At the Wildlife Research Institute today, a pair of pileated woodpeckers visited an old pileated woodpecker nest hole together (used in 2006), flew to a horizontal branch a hundred yards away, and mated. As another sign of spring, sparrows are returning. In the last 2 days, fox sparrows, song sparrows, and white-throated sparrows put in their first appearances of the year.
This bird was recorded singing on Juliet's den. Can you identify it?
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center