Hope and Appreciation
April 3, 2010 – 4:37 PM CDT
Hope showed us two new things today. She can stand up on her hind legs and she’s getting more playful.
This morning we found them bedded together at the same white pine as yesterday. There’s not much to eat in the forest yet, so sitting tight in a secure spot seems wise. Lily was calm as she watched us approach. When she got up and came over to us, Hope went to the base of the white pine—ready to climb if needed. As Lily headed back toward their bed site she paused to defecate. Lily was hunched over with her head down when Hope seized the opportunity to attack! She scurried over and stood up on her hind legs and began to bat Lily’s face with her paws. She’s getting stronger and more coordinated each day. And she definitely has this ‘play’ thing figure out!
\We’re thinking about how much Lily and Hope have done for bears and can continue to do. When people watch these bears, it is hard to think of them as monsters. We see personality and emotions that are enough like ours that it’s easy to identify with them. We want the world to see that. Seeing real bears changes attitudes and makes the bears’ world a little safer. For endangered species in Europe and Asia, better attitudes can make the difference between survival and extinction. We inadvertently discovered a means for letting people see what bears are really like, and we’ll continue to work at that. Lily and Hope’s 95,000 Facebook fans might be the beginning of a formidable force for bears.
We’ve all shared our passion these past three months, we feel an appreciation for each other and the bears. We haven’t always remembered to say ‘Thank you’ for all that Lily’s fans have done, but that’s an indication of how much is happening—really more than we can keep up with. And we want it to grow. We will continue to follow Lily, Hope, and the other research bears, of course, and will post videos, pictures, and updates as often as we can.
At the same time, the BBC is beginning to film and is capturing precious scenes of Lily and Hope playing. They are requiring more of our time in making 3 new documentaries, each for millions viewers, which means many more people will learn the nature of bears from Lily and kin. We’re also looking forward to a busy summer at the Bear Center, the Lilypad Picnic, and what the research bears can teach us all.
We thank you for your continuing support and the many ways you are supporting bear research and education.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American Bear Center