Holly arriving - 12-27-13Holly has come a long way settling in and getting comfortable with the staff since her arrival a year ago.
The pictures show Holly in her box being transferred from the rental trailer she rode up in to my truck to drive her the final couple hundred yards to the pen where she would spend her first winter.
Holly and Lynn - 12-27-13The next two pictures show me videotaping her initial reactions to her new home and being happily surprised that she would come to me. She actually tried to play with me but was a little rough as is common for cubs that haven’t yet learned how to control their bites.
The final picture is Holly exploring her pen and looking pretty small although she did weigh a good, healthy 84 pounds or so.
Holly and Lynn - 12-27-13It was the beginning of a new era at the Bear Center. Things have gone wonderfully with Holly becoming buddies with Lucky, learning how to behave around Ted and Honey, and digging her own wild-type den to fill in for the wild bears on a den cam this winter. So much more to come from this interesting little bear as she grows up.
Holly climbing - 12-27-13We’re close to announcing registration for the eight 2015 Black Bear Field Courses that will run each week in July and August, starting at 11 AM on Sundays and ending midday on Wednesdays. We’re starting 5 hours earlier on Sundays this year to allow more bear time and time for new activites suggested by course participants. One addition will be a Power Point Presentation by Sue Mansfield about walking with mothers and cubs. Packed with brief video clips and pictures, it will serve as an introduction for contact with bears. We’re looking forward to the courses and bears with excitement.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center