The highlight today was a nice welcome back from Burt. I knew he’d been seen, but this time I got to see him. It’s part of what makes the home area special. 
BurtHe is one of the bears I most wanted to see and that I wanted Black Bear Field Course participants to meet. I remember when I met him on April 3, 2005. He was bigger than his sister Ursula and growing past the critical socialization period. He was a little defensive, unlike his sister, but he was still in the socialization period enough that he remembers me in a kindly way—to this day. Yet I never hear of anyone seeing him outside this tiny area. Here, he is totally trusting of everyone.
At the Bear Center, Tasha continues to adapt to her new home and keepers. She took ownership of her pen a bit by raking straw into a bunker den.
People are asking how my talks were received at the International Bear Conference. The best indication of that is being asked by two professors to write a chapter (4,000-5,000 words) in a book they are putting together. I saw who the other writers are and what they are writing about and felt honored to be a part of it. This will be a good book for bears. Along that line, I was also asked to be part of a new documentary in the works. Same story. The purpose of it is not to make animals look dangerous to get viewers. It is to highlight people who took a second look at so-called dangerous animals and saw something else. The documentary is about what they saw and how it helped change attitudes. I feel honored to be asked to be part of that, too. The documentary is not finalized yet. Thoughtful people are coming around. The tide is turning with the help of Lily Fans.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center