Update on research bears
April 26, 2010 – 7:20 PM CDT
We’re thankful for the GPS units on the research bears! We can do other important things and still monitor the bears. Beginning Friday, the Bear Center will be open daily until next fall. We’re busy getting ready for the summer visitors. This morning, Lynn and a crew of volunteers mounted huge eye-catching pictures of brown, polar, and black bears on the front of the Bear Center building. No one will drive by without noticing the Bear Center!
Lily and Hope are still on the little peninsula but have moved to a new bed site on the opposite side. We did not visit them today but posted a bit more video at http://www.bear.org/website/lily-a-hope/den-cam-video-clips.html of our time with them on the 24th.
9-year-old June and her yearlings, Jewel and Jordan, continue to roam and are in a fairly inaccessible area. Green-up is progressing and Lynn saw the first Juneberry blossoms today – at least 3 weeks early. Juneberries are a favorite bear food and June’s full name is Juneberry.
After restricting their activity to a small area for a couple days, 8-year-old Braveheart and her yearlings are once again roaming. This time they are exploring an area that historically was the territory of Braveheart’s mother (Blackheart) and half sister (Solo)—both now deceased. We watched as her GPS locations moved through the area she knew as a cub. We haven’t seen Braveheart in this area as an adult. She may be looking to expand her territory to make room for her 2 female yearlings after family breakup happens in about a month.
2-year-old Jo has gone full circle. After roaming far and wide she is now back in the area where she denned. This is the first time Jo has worn a GPS unit, so each location is new information for us.
No one has reported seeing Juliet or Donna yet, but we’re not surprised. If Juliet is ‘holed up’ like Lily, it could be a while before she’s seen. Donna’s territory is largely uninhabited and the summer homes with it are not yet occupied. It’s still early in the field season. We’re confident they will turn up. Same with Cookie.
Thank you again for your continued support.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American Bear Center