Holly takes a walkHolly was naughty. Her curiosity got the better of her. She was obsessed with the camera. They say animals can’t see the infra-red light, but I wonder. I wondered about the Beaver Cam we used to have, and I wonder about bears. Scott and Heidi ended up moving it to the fence for a view from outside, which is where Holly put in an appearance today.
Ted I hadn’t seen Ted and Honey for so long, I stopped and took pictures of them. Ted showed why we love him so much. When I came in his little pen, he started getting up without hesitation, making his friendly high-pitched grunt that says “I’m glad to see you and I want friendly contact with you.” I couldn’t stay around for that, but it was good to know he felt that way. He is like that with everyone, but some say he is more intense toward me. I think I know why, if it’s true. When I met the man who raised him, I saw me. He is my same size, looks a bit like me, has a short goatee beard, and sounds like me. I sure we smell different, but I may be enough like the man he truly loves to be a stand-in. Plus, I trusted him and interacted closely with him the first time we met, which might have sealed the deal.
HoneyHoney didn’t know what to think about having someone come into her pen. I think she was bonded more with the woman who raised her, which didn’t give me an edge with her.
HollyThe log entrance to the Bear Center is progressing. We’ll have to wait a few months to varnish the logs and give them their final rich sheen, but it is already looking good with the wall of wood against the building. They’ll finish it off with logs framing the doors, plus lights that shine up onto the overhead logs and beautiful tongue and groove boards that are the underside of the roof.
Inside, three of the new exhibit platforms are in place, and Judy McClure got the exhibits on one side done at the new more kid-friendly level. The new lower platforms give visitors a look all around, including a view of the upper walls where many new pictures will go (with captions).
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| New displays | Coming together | Don Taylor working on counter |
The gift shop now has its new carved sign by Ray Thielbar who made all our beautiful carved signs. Ray was vice-chairman of the North American Bear Center board for many years in the 1990’s and early 2000’s as well as being a long-time friend. He has one sign to go yet, and that is a nice welcome sign with decorations to hang from the big cross log on the front of the log entrance. On top of that log, he will put a mother bear walking toward the middle with two cubs walking toward her from the other way.
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| Log entrance | New gift shop sign | Log entrance |
Another artisan is Scott’s long-time friend Don Taylor who made the new platforms and can be seen on his hands and knees by the new configurement of the front counter that will route people in past the register and out through the gift shop.
A setback of sorts is that we learned the fiber optic cable that is necessary for us to do Distance Learning to classrooms is being delayed another 18 months. We heard that today.
A video I wanted to share is a wild sea otter giving birth where she is very visible from the Monterey Aquarium in California. Lily Fans, including me, are now used to seeing bears give birth to the smallest newborns, relative to the mother’s size of any placental mammals—bear cubs. So the newborn sea otter looked huge to me relative to the mother’s size. The picture is of that mother and baby as seen at the Monterey Aquarium. See the birth at http://mbayaq.co/1R0v6oD.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center