Shylow - August 1, 2013Lily Fans are asking for more on 11-year-old Shylow. During hunting season last year, a hunter came out of the woods across the street from WRI after dark. I asked how things were going. He said he’d shot a big one but couldn’t find it. Shortly, we saw that Ursula was short a cub and thought the hunter had misjudged the size of a cub as another hunter had done the year before. After each hunting season, we have to wait until the following year to see who doesn’t show up. Shylow, born in 2002, has shown up each year of his life. This year he didn’t. I finally accepted that the hunter had indeed shot a big bear—gentle Shylow.
Bear-hunters shooting in low light by flashlight after legal shooting hours is a widespread problem. This evening, shooting hours ended at 8:13 PM, but we continued to hear scattered distant shots in the dark until 8:46 PM (this moment). Last evening, it was a nearby rifle shot at 10:19 PM. This happens nightly.
Teddy Bear made by Joanne Livingston
At the Bear Center today, the USDA did a surprise inspection due to an anonymous complaint about Ted’s care. The USDA inspector brought a veterinarian to assure detailed documentation of medical facts. We thank the USDA for their diligence. As with all previous inspections, we passed with flying colors. All I can say is a big thank you to our dedicated staff and veterinarians for their great care of the bears day in and day out.
Some time back, Joanne Livingston sent us the most life-like teddy bear we have ever seen. Today, I watched Bear Walker volunteers hold it like it was real. Their faces showed genuine emotion. We have wondered what to name the bear. We thought of Hope and all she stood for. But Hope was real. This Teddy Bear does not represent what Hope did. This bear represents the ultimate example of the Teddy Bear phenomenon that has put a gentle face on bears for generations of children. Teddy Bears are the first exposure many children have to bears, making bears the first animals many children learn to identify. This life-like bear will be the centerpiece for an exhibit on Teddy Bears and
Volunteer Bear Walker with Teddy
what they have meant to our view of bears. The exhibit will also explore the confusion that that view has caused when contrasted with the fear-mongering in other quarters. To fit the exhibit and what this bear stands for, we will name this evocative little bear Teddy and make him the centerpiece of the exhibit. Thank you Joanne for creating this masterpiece.
Today at the table, one of the volunteers tearfully told how much she wanted the Bear Center and the research to succeed. As I looked around the table, most of the others were tearing up with empathy. The power and dedication of Lily Fans is unmatched in my experience. The Den Cams, Lily, Hope, and learning brought people together in a way I didn’t realize was possible. Lily Fans continue to move forward with education, the Hope Learning Center, the Northwoods Ecology Hall, and the many forms of Education Outreach that groups of Lily Fans are making possible.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.