RC nursing her cubsWhile Ted delighted visitors at the Bear Center with his attention to the hanging feeder, 16-year-old RC demonstrated her dominance over bears of any size at the WRI. She chased a 4-year-old male that eventually turned and faced her and then looked away to diffuse the argument. Big males often do that. RC may be approaching estrous despite the fact she is still with Heinrik and Veronica. I remember another male that looked peaceably away from a threatening female who wasn’t yet ready for his advances. She became his mate a few days later.
RC and AspenRC (250.5 pounds) also chased 6-year-old Samantha (188 pounds) who was here alone this evening but might have been here with yearlings last night. The spotter didn’t get a good enough look in the dark to be sure it was Samantha. Gentle, trusting Samantha (daughter of Braveheart) is a bear I look forward to Bear Course participants meeting.
Herring GullWith all the competition chased away, RC went to the white pine where her yearlings were waiting in the branches. They immediately came down and nursed. RC seemed to enjoy the view of Woods Lake while nursing.
Ted at the feederWriting at the computer (before the bear blitz this evening) was mixed with breaks to greet the semi-tame herring gull who is back. He or she was here last year and nearly a month ago. Three other less-tame gulls filled in during its absence, each identifiable by the shape of the orange dot on the lower mandible. The tame gull deserved a special treat. Would it appreciate Spam? Or would it consider that a plebian meal? One taste, and the gull loved it! When it ran out, he or she vocalized like I’d never heard it do before. It no longer wanted sunflower seeds. I offered more Spam, wondering if the gull would take it from my hand. About 22 inches was as close as it would come on the railing. I wondered how the bill would feel. Would it be gentle like a bear? It didn’t look very gentle the way it grabbed pieces roughly, wolfing them down quickly, one after the other like I’d never seen with the sunflower seeds.
RC nursing cubsWhile all this was going on, our main thoughts, worries, calls (incoming and outgoing) and emails were about the Conference Committee that convened in St Paul at 3 PM Bear Time. An email from one of the committee members, probably during a break, let me know the bear-feeding language we’d heard about was in HF846, but that the bill will be the last item on the agenda. The committee will likely debate into the night. We should learn the outcome tomorrow.
Thank you for all you’ve done toward a good outcome on this.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.