Still learning
Still learning
March 22, 2010 - 7:52 CDT
We’re still learning—along with all of you. With spring coming 3-4 weeks early, we can test the strength of statements we’ve made in the past about when bears leave their dens in spring and what governs the timing of emergence. But it could get cold and snowy again, which would confirm the bears’ wisdom of staying near their dens. Lily, of course, is tied to her den by a cub that’s just becoming mobile.
The mutual tongue-licking behavior we were looking for is developing. Again, we don’t know if this is part of bonding, transferring enzymes, or what. Hope didn’t seem to know what to make of it at first but now occasionally makes the suckling hum sound while tongue-licking.
We know some of you are worried that Lily might abandon Hope and the den because of disturbances like the dog. The peaceful scene of Lily and Hope snuggled outside the den after the dog left makes us think Lily was not terribly disturbed by it all. Otherwise, she’d have been in a more secure position, like in the den. She likely knows that dog from previous encounters. Two dogs run free in the woods there, and Lily has bedded in that area many times over the years—first with her mother June and then on her own, including building a den two years in a row where these dogs run free.
So why did Lily retreat to her den instead of attacking the dog? Actually, the usual reaction of a mother to danger is to escape rather than defend the cub(s). When there is danger, black bear cubs run for trees and climb. Grizzly bear cubs are more likely to run to mom. It’s built in after millennia of black bears becoming adapted to forest living and grizzly bears becoming adapted to open country living. Grizzlies are much more likely to defend cubs than black bears are. We don’t think the dog was much of a threat, but when Hope squawked, Lily was out there pronto. We’ve seen that at other dens, too. The squawk of a cub brings mom out fast. I guess we’ve written about that before, though.
Speaking of disturbance, Lynn wondered if his visit yesterday morning prompted her activity in the afternoon. So this morning when he considered moving the leaf letter that was blocking the camera, he decided to stay away and see if she exited again, which she did. We doubt if visiting the den has more than an immediate effect. But who can say? One thing we’ve found hanging out with bears is that it’s hard to keep a bear from being a bear. They have an agenda that goes so far beyond what we do; we’ve learned how little we affect their behavior once they learn to trust us.
To back that up, we’re fortunate in having the years of radio-tracking data from before we began walking with bears. Comparisons show the bears have the same size territories, the same annual pattern of hibernation and activity, the same daily activity rhythms, and the same basic diets are far as we can tell. So Lynn wasn’t surprised to see Lily exiting again this afternoon to do more raking, and she took care of the blocked camera on her own.
Hope stayed in today, which is a relief to people worried about the eagle they could hear calling from a big white pine maybe 50 yards from the den. Bald eagles are migrating now and are all over. We don’t think the eagle is a threat to Hope but the fact she stayed in today eliminates all worry.
On another topic, this year we began seeking protection for Lily and Hope from a much bigger threat. We sought legislation to protect radio-collared bears. Actually, we’ve been seeking protection for years and have many thousands of signatures on a petition. However, we pulled the legislation for several reasons. One reason was that the Minnesota Bear Guides Association is going to work with us to educate hunters not to shoot radio-collared bears. Hunter attitude is all important in this. Legislation without education may not gain compliance.
The Guides convinced us we could be more effective in protecting radio-collared bears by working with them than by attempting legislation at this time. We decided to see what we can accomplish together. We had a second meeting a couple days ago to brainstorm together. A reporter covered the meeting as a step toward getting the word out. If no radio-collared bears are shot, we’ll work with them another year. We want hunters to take the lead in asking other hunters to protect radio-collared bears. The support of the Guides Association is a strong step in that direction. In addition, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is planning to send out a letter to all the bear hunters in the study area, asking them not to shoot radio-collared bears. If the guides and DNR can be effective, we won’t need legislation.
Your support is one of the most important things in making the radio-collared bears secure. The fact that Lily’s Facebook fans number over 91,000 and hundreds of you are willing to put your pocketbooks where your heart is through donations and coming to Ely for the Lilypad Picnic is being noticed by the public and by government officials. This definitely makes a difference.
People are taking notice of you and Lily. Attitudes are changing. Next winter, we want to observe another mother while continuing to follow Lily and Hope. It’s hard to promise because the logistics can be next to impossible, but we have a team of technicians working toward it. Your donations have shown us that another den cam is likely to benefit bears rather than draining away our resources. There have been so many ways that bears, research, and the Bear Center have benefited from this experience, and beyond that, we have been so inspired by all of you. We have to do it again.
Thank you for your donations and support.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American Bear Center