Cute little Bud - May 8, 2007We have seen little evidence that mothers teach their cubs what to eat. We have seen cubs smell their mothers’ mouths. We’ve seen them do mutual tongue-licking. And we’ve seen mothers lead their cubs to feeding areas. But mostly, the cubs forage independently—often on foods different from what the mother is eating. Captive bears at the Bear Center forage for wild foods like local wild bears do despite their having grown up in other states or in pens. Young bears sniff, taste, and seem to know bear foods without being told.
Bud eating alder buds - 05/08/2007In this 2:27 video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sVn9z6cLv4, Bud is off alone eating the bursting buds of speckled alder (Alnus rugosa). Spring is a time of plenty. Tender young leaves are everywhere, and much of their nutrition is still in a highly digestible fluid form, with secondary compounds not yet developed enough to deter foragers.
Lily swings from a branch - 05/08/2007Lily disrupts Bud’s foraging, explores out onto branches of the fallen cedar, and gives us a demonstration of athleticism like we seldom see. Always entertaining and endearing. Again, the bears give no indication that Sue is there holding the camera steady to record footage like we have never seen on TV—wild bears going about their lives paying no attention to the researcher.
The family walks away - 05/08/2007As we expand and upgrade the Bear Center, a goal will be to share these video clips with the public on site, online, and through video links in ebooks and hard copy books. Ending our research and targeting June were scientific tragedies. Thank goodness we had the wherewithal to gather hundreds of hours of video, photographs (with help from Jim Stroner), and notes. Telling these bears’ stories will be a step toward understanding black bears for the good of bears and their human neighbors.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center