Hope progresses
June 12, 2010 – 9:41 PM CDT
Hope is becoming more of a bear every day. While she is extremely cautious, going on alert at the break of a distant twig, she is making herself known. Today we watched as she scent-marked like a big bear. She straddled small bushes and walked over them. She stomp-walked, putting her forefeet down hard and sliding them. Yet, any potential danger starts her up a tree. She’s living bold, yet smart. She’s a survivor. She’s no longer emaciated. And she is growing. When she stood up today, we estimated her to be over two feet tall. Next time she does that, we’ll try to get an exact measurement.
Lily spent the afternoon a mile and a half southwest of Hope and is still there now (9:06 PM). Lily is no longer traveling widely. We need to check on her to see if that’s because she’s with a male or just foraging.
The travels of Grandma June have surprised us lately, especially considering how early in the year the females are traveling so widely in this year of a record early spring. She traveled over 13 miles northeast, then 15 miles east, then 7 miles southwest, returning home after each trip. June is comfortable with people where she is used to seeing them, but on these trips, she avoided populated areas and individual houses scattered through the forest. As far as we can tell, she was not seen on any of these forays. One of the beauties of this area is that there are still places for bears to roam without getting into trouble.
Thank you for your contributions!
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American Bear Center