Lily and cubsOne of the community feeders called to say Lily and her 3 cubs were there. I zipped over. The family was dining peacefully. Then the brown cub stood up against the tree revealing that it is a female (nipples, no penis). She played with another one standing up that I lean toward being a male. The third one was more shy.
Happy BurtAnother community feeder agreed that Burt is a sweetheart. They said, “He is indeed a sweetheart. He is the most mellow, patient, and calm bear we've ever met.” I couldn’t help thinking that this bear that we know is not a danger is exactly the kind of bear officials who fear bears would say had to be killed because it has lost its fear of people and therefore would create nuisance problems and jeopardize public safety. In truth, this 10-year-old bear has never been a nuisance anywhere that we know of and is the last bear to feel any need for defensive action.
One thing about Burt is that he has an expressive face. In pictures, he looks pensive, attentive, or happy. The happy one is shown here. Notice how he makes eye contact without fear.
At the Ecology Hall, the aquarium has water and looks almost ready for fish. Many people are helping and things are moving forward!
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| Lily's male and female cubs | Aquarium with water | Lily's brown female cub |
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.