Lily fans coming to Ely -- pets react to cub's cries - UPDATE February 5, 2010
February 5, 2010 - 5:01 PM CST
So many topics.
Lily and the cub seemed comfortable on this mild 25F day. Viewers were treated to a good look at Lily’s face when she look directly into the camera and then raked more bedding under her and snuggled the cub in.
It’s exciting to think of Lily Fans gathering in Ely the last weekend of July. They are well organized and have created a Facebook 'event page' at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=193634499970. The Ely Chamber of Commerce (218-365-6123 and www.ely.org) will do whatever it can to facilitate the gathering. Ely is a small town of about 5,000 people, with about 20,000 in the surrounding lakes area in summer. It’s a tourist destination town with lots of restaurants, shops, canoeing outfitters, the North American Bear Center, the International Wolf Center, Soudan Underground Mine tours, and nature trails. Short hiking trails lead to beautiful big waterfalls, one of which will be featured in the BBC/Animal Planet ‘Bearwalker of the Northwoods’ on April 4.
The discussion about pets reacting to the cub’s cries is interesting. Cubs sound enough like human infants to confuse people, and infants sound so much like cubs they confuse mother bears. Confused mothers come toward crying infants making the same sweet grunts we all hear from Lily when her cub cries. Maybe the stories of mother bears taking care of lost children really are true.
I was touched to read reactions of people who watched the Youtube video “Through the Lens—The Bear Man” that musicians Pat and Donna Surface put together as a labor of love. My feelings always well up when I see those pictures—so many memories.
I’m also touched to see the many fundraising ideas you are suggesting for putting the Bear Center on a solid financial footing and to see the donations continue to come in.
—Lynn Rogers, Biologist, North American Bear Center