This and That
August 10, 2010 – 9:30 PM CDT
Today we spent hours filing bear weight records. It’s hard to catch up when we fall behind due to other obligations. We’re trying to figure out how to add more hours to our days.
One of 11-year-old RC’s cubs spent last night alone in a tree, but rejoined the family today. These temporary separations are fairly common within our study. Juliet occasionally separates from her cubs, too. Yesterday, she was nearly a mile from them at one point before rejoining them.
Today, Juliet and her three cubs foraged and rested together as usual. As her cubs grow, their heart rates have become slower. Cubs that had heart rates of 146-154 beats per minute now have pulses between 123 and 135.
Lily and Hope foraged together in an inaccessible roadless area. We couldn’t join them, but other bears in the area are shifting from chokecherries to dogwood berries—as evidenced by the red-osier dogwood and round-leafed dogwood seeds are showing up in scats.
June was accessible so we paid her a visit. Her heart rate was 81 as she sat calmly. June has been on the move a lot lately as she shifts her territory to leave behind room for Lily (3), little Hope, and Jewel (1). We were fortunate to find her accessible.
Great Smoky Mountains is mounting a huge effort to catch little Bear Head Lake State Park in Coca Cola’s Favorite Park contest, but they can’t seem to outdo Lily’s fans. A real phenomenon.
The educational outreach project continues to progress with teachers stepping up and pitching in across the country. We’ve posted a questionnaire for teachers online at www.bear.org to learn how they used the Lily Den Cam in their classroom and provide information to guide this far-reaching, long-term effort.
Thank you for all you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center