Reunited!
July 12, 2010 9:15 PM CDT
Lily and Hope are re-united at last. The reunion was either between 8 and 10 AM yesterday as Lily passed south through Hope’s area or after 4 PM as Lily passed back north. Around 8 PM, a landowner spotted them together about 2 miles north of Hope’s area.
Will this union be temporary like before? Or will they stick together for the long haul. Sue videotaped their behavior today so each of us can decide for ourselves. See footage of Lily and Hope together at http://www.bear.org/website/lily-a-hope/den-cam-video-clips.html.
There is no objective way to describe their behavior together today. It was simply joyous. See what you think as you watch the video.
After walking miles together yesterday, they spent the day playing, nursing, snuggling, and mutual tongue-licking—a behavior we don’t understand. Maybe it’s bonding. Maybe it’s transferring enzymes. Hope was the one most vigorously pursuing it.
Hope was also the one initiating “endless play” (as Sue said). Hope played with reckless abandon; jumping on Lily, batting at Lily’s face, climbing on her, and playing hide and seek around trees.
Nursing was a big surprise. We couldn’t believe Lily had milk already. Less than 24 hours after re-uniting, Lily is producing milk in her two anterior breasts where Hope concentrates her nursing. Last we checked, Lily’s breasts were flat and flaccid. The lumps from the clogged milk ducts of 6 weeks ago were completely gone. Hope is getting some milk—which probably means she is getting elements only her mother can provide.
This outpouring of exuberance was not immediate. Last evening, by all reports, Lily could care less if Hope were there. Today, as the video shows, Lily is into it. Perhaps there has been a surge of hormones.
Things have changed drastically for Hope. She is a different cub from the lone, scared cub of the last 6 weeks. In addition to the amazingly energetic play, she slept long and deeply on the ground next to Lily—not up in a tree. Understandably, Hope doesn’t want Lily out of her sight. When Lily gets up and goes, Hope is tight on her heels. When Hope found herself briefly separated from Lily this morning, Hope immediately tracked her, bawling loudly as she went.
We are full of questions, of course, and we’ll explore them over the next days and weeks. This reunion is a huge relief in many ways. Maybe we are optimistic, but we feel that they will stick together this time.
The other big news is that with all your hard work, NABC is in 3rd place and should get $100,000 to reduce its debt, and WRI is in 8th place and should get $20,000 for its endowment fund to continue research, data analysis, and writing if anything should happen to 71-year-old Lynn. Thank you so much for your dedicated hard work to make this happen and thank you for your contributions. Thank you also for the treats that arrived at the Bear Center today from all over the country. We hesitate to name names because we would fail to name everyone who deserves it. Please know how much we appreciate everything.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center