Ted takes a bath Today we saw another side of Holly. She was up in her deadfall refuge when Glen began using the weed whacker to improve visibility behind the pond. If it were one of us, we’d probably want to tell Glen to turn off the noise please. I hope we’d say please. Holly didn’t blame Glen. She went directly after the weed whacker. We don’t know what Holly thought she was attacking, but she had her ears back and was standing up with her paws ready to do some whacking of her own. Glen turned it off. Holly calmed down, and we were glad to see her assert herself in her own home. Maybe it’s starting to feel more like home to her as she learns the sources of danger and places of safety. The weed whacker must have seemed like a new danger, and she attacked it rather than running from it.
Holly's tree from bottomThe staff took great pictures of Holly’s deadfall refuge tree. It gives a nearly horizontal place to rest in the shade, and it’s close enough to a tall aspen that she could climb, if necessary. Holly explored and she chose wisely. She could use the white pine that Lucky used as a cub, but most of that tree has since died so there is little shade. Holly found a better place, it seems.
Ted splashesTed enjoyed a bath on this beautiful day.
Aster, Lily, Jewel, and Juliet look like they’re okay.
A video of a bear following a couple joggers in Alberta is making the rounds, and we are being asked what we think about it. We have never seen anything like it (http://globalnews.ca/news/1395362/watch-2-men-followed-by-black-bear-while-jogging-in-northern-alberta/). The bear first appears curious. It smells something as indicated by it opening its mouth slightly several times as if it is biting the air. That means the bear is using its vomeronasal organ to more fully evaluate the scent. The bear comes close to the men several times but shies away. Then it becomes nervous and climbs several trees, even blowing at one point, further showing its nervousness. Shortly, the bear breaks off without ever touching a person or being physically rebuffed. We think of every behavior being part of a bell-shaped curve. This degree of curiosity is so far out in the tail of the curve that we have never seen it.
Holly's tree from the leftWhat should the people have done? They did fine. No harm was done to them or the bear. When the bear broke off, they resumed their workout, as one TV anchorperson said, and probably got the workout of their lives sprinting to their vehicle. We suspect the outcome would have been the same if they’d walked, though, because it appeared the bear had already decided the situation was too tense.
Pepper spray would have convinced the bear to break off sooner, from everything we’ve seen.
Holly's tree from the left closeupWe’ve heard other stories of bears following people, although nothing like this. Being followed is rare. Often, people assume it is predatory behavior, but who’s to say what the bears were thinking. In one case, a woman lay down and played dead, and the bear sniffed her and went on.
The guys in this Alberta instance were understandably worried. They dealt with the unusual behavior in the best way they could. They picked up a rock but never had to use it, although a little pain might have helped the bear’s longevity if it learned not to approach and scare people like that. We thought the guys were cool because in their interviews they didn’t over-interpret the bear’s behavior from a standpoint of their fear.
Holly's tree from the rightWe wouldn’t be surprised if they began carrying pepper spray in case they see that bear again. A little squirt with a drop in an eye can make a bear quickly want to be elsewhere. The pepper spray we recommend is the weak kind (Halt) that shoots a stream like a squirt gun rather than a cloud that can blow in the shooter’s face. We’ve never HAD to use it, but in our experimental usage, a drop in the eye was all it took to make any bear turn and leave fast.
The most interesting thing about this story is that with all the feeding in our study area for over 50 years, nothing like this has ever happened. And even though the DNR told the public over and over that the bears here go up to people for food, uninvited and unwelcome, we have never heard of that happening, and the DNR did not come up with one witness to testify to that. Yes, the bears do go up to people in the yards where they are routinely fed, but the broader statement the DNR repeated over and over was misleading.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.