For the love of bearsThe NABC staff has worked patiently to help Holly feel comfortable in her new home. It’s working. Holly became comfortable getting her bottle through the fence, and when she seemed ready, they went in with her. They fed her nuts and held the bottle for her. They began using touch, the universal language. Their touch was gentle. Holly is relaxing. Holly Cam watchers are following the progression. We commend the staff, including Bear Curator Judy Thon, who gets there very early every day (6-7 AM) to make Holly’s formula and do the first bottle-feeding. She then has others give the bottles so Holly will feel comfortable with people in general.
Holly is comfortable meeting Lucky through the fence. We’re looking forward to the face-to-face meeting between them when the mange treatment is complete and we can let Holly roam the entire enclosure.
Deer in yardOut in the woods, Juliet ventured 130 yards outside the security of the trees of her patch of upland forest to explore a clearcut area. We don’t know if she let the cubs accompany her for that. The family is not moving far. Jewel (and likely her cubs) left their usual patch of upland forest and moved through lowland cedar to an upland forest a quarter mile away. Lily ended the day in an accessible clearcut if the gate to the road is open, but she arrived there at dark. We’ll see where she is tomorrow to check whether Eli and Ellie are still with her.
A Lily Fan from Switzerland moved to Ely, and his vehicle shows his interest in bears.
We were asked how much the deer weighed that was pictured getting on the scale a couple nights ago. We didn’t get a weight on that one, but a yearling female deer stepped on today and weighed 128 pounds. It’s the deer to the left in the picture. Her very pregnant mother is to the right with her back to us.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center