Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub

Hope is bigger than we thought


Hope standing to bite - June 13, 2010
Hope continues to do well. Tonight when she stood up to bite a sapling (teething?), we snapped this picture and later measured from the ground to the tip of her nose—34 ¼ inches. That’s bigger than we thought. Seeing her every day, we didn’t notice how much she is growing. She is definitely no longer emaciated!

We examined her fresh scat and found she’s been sampling wild blueberries and American fly honeysuckle berries. Blueberries are still green but honeysuckle is beginning to ripen. Hope should do just fine once the berries really ripen.

Today, Lily approached to within 700 yards (0.4 mile) of Hope’s location. Sue went out to monitor what might happen if Lily continued and they met. False alarm. Lily’s GPS locations showed she veered sharply south. Lily no longer appears to be with a male.

Thank you for your contributions.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American Bear Center

And a gorgeous photo from the article. She really is turning into a proper little bear!!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6291987&op=1&view=all&subj=457073204477&aid=-1&auser=0&oid=457073204477&id=263755115498

Hope at the feeding station on 12th June!!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6291987&op=1&view=all&subj=457073204477&aid=-1&auser=0&oid=457073204477&id=263755115498#!/photo.php?pid=6273472&id=263755115498

And Hope coming down from a very big tree - 13th June
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6291987&op=1&view=all&subj=457073204477&aid=-1&auser=0&oid=457073204477&id=263755115498#!/photo.php?pid=6284606&id=263755115498&fbid=433573885498

Facebook status update from 12th June
(9:10 AM CDT) Hope met me at the feeding station again this morning. She's spoiling me! Progress toward the eventual collaring is being made

Facebook status update from 12th/13th June
Hope arrived at the feeding station shortly after 7 pm. She's eating blueberries and pecans

Facebook status update from 13th June:
Hope was not at the feeding station when I arrived at 7am. I scanned the surrounding forest and spied her high in a red pine. She slowly roused, stretched, and descended. After feeding she climbed a maple growing near the feeding station red pine. From high in the maple she caught a branch from the red pine and climbed higher still.

Its all sounding very positive and that she's learning to trust Sue.

Great updates and photos - thanks for posting Anne-Marie. The one of Hope coming down the tree makes you realise how small she still is and how tall the trees are

Lai

It really is good to hear, and see she is doing so well on her own. Thanks for the updates, and news AM Mrs S will be thrilled
WS

Facebook status update:
Hope kept me waiting this morning. She 'appeared' at the feeding station 45 mins after I arrived. Sometimes she comes barreling in, other times she's stealthy and seems to simply materialize. Energized by the food, she quickly fell into play. As I was driving away, I caught sight of her climbing high into a red pine

Update June 14, 2010 – 9:42 PM CDTShare
Today at 04:23
Hope continues to forage


Hope pawing at log - June 14, 2010
We don’t think Hope could be doing better under the circumstances. She is eating the formula, grapes, nuts, and mealworms we put out for her twice a day. In a taste test this evening, she went first for the mealworms, left those and ate all the grapes (2 cups), tried some formula, ate a cup of nuts, and seemed to be full. She pawed at a piece of wood, lay by the base of her red pine and pawed at the bark, and left. On the way out, we saw a log she had been working at for ants or grubs and found her dropping next to it. The scat contained ants, other insects, a fly, unripe Juneberry seeds, a raspberry flower, and other vegetation. It also contained a tiny, transparent clam shell. Hope is exploring and learning wild ways.

Deer flies are out now. They bite hard. When one buzzed around Hope, she batted at it as it flew and swatted at it whenever it landed on her ears or face. Other bears do this, too. They know the buzz and the bite of deer flies and horse flies. It’s a case of eat or be eaten. If they do catch one, they eat it.

Strangely, mosquitoes and black flies are almost nonexistent this year—probably because April had no snowfall and only a trace of rain.

The picture shows the brown patches on the backs of her ears. She is starting to lose them, which is a sign she is beginning to shed her short (about an inch) soft cub fur. She will replace it with longer adult fur.

We saw a question about the radio-collar. We had said earlier that we had a lightweight radio-collar for her. However, in testing it, the range was too short and the frequency differed enough from our specialized antennas that it was hard to determine the direction. So we ordered a collar in our usual frequency range that should arrive in about 2 weeks. We want it to arrive before she gets so heavily into wild berries that her visits to her feeding site might be less regular. It will all work out, though.


Sue and the trail cameras - June 14, 2010
The other picture shows Sue by the two trail cameras. One is a reliable flash camera donated by a Lily and Hope fan. The other is a new one that sends pictures to a web site so we can check her visits through the day. The black object partway up the tree is the solar panel that augments the batteries. So far this camera has not produced a picture, so we are fine-tuning the aim, etc.

Lily is only a half mile northwest. It seems surprising that Lily has not visited Hope’s area after all the time she spent there this spring. Could she know Hope is there? Could she be avoiding it like mothers often avoid the areas where their yearlings settle after family breakup, giving them an exclusive feeding area?

Thank you for your contributions. You are making a difference.

—Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American

Picture that goes with article https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6306192&op=1&view=all&subj=457545284477&aid=-1&auser=0&oid=457545284477&id=263755115498

Fabulous update. Its great to see Hope surviving!

Thanks AM.

SM

Sorry Anne-Marie, i've only just had time to catch up with Hope and Lily's updates.
its so wonderful that Hope is doing so well, she is eating all kinds of things that bears eat plus all the stuff Sue is putting out for her and real trust is starting to build up between them, hopefully when her new collar arrives Sue wont have any trouble getting it on so they can keep tabs on Hope.

Lily is so close isnt she but maybe as Sue says she is keeping her distance to give Hope her own little area, in a way thats nice but a shame they are not together but I suppose that is life sometimes.
So no mate for Lily, or I wonder if she has already mated and they are not aware of it, they thought Lily was with a mate before but then there was a question over it, honestly Lily is giving us a game isnt she. Its lovely to be able to keep up on them both.
Gorgeous pictures Anne-Marie, Hope looks so well now doesnt she, she has done amazingly well.
Thanks again for keeping us all updated.

littlewid-x-

Update June 15, 2010 – 8:07 PM CDTShare
Today at 03:38
Not worried


Last evening, we were with Hope at her feeding station 7:30–8:30 PM. Hope walked off before the food was gone so we left the remaining few ounces of formula and nuts—figuring she would be back later. The trail camera shows Hope returned at 8:54 PM and promptly ‘adjusted’ the camera angle. With the camera off-kilter, we don’t know for sure if Hope finished off the remaining food, but it’s likely.


June defecating at base of red pine - June 14, 2010
Just after 10 PM, June appeared at the feeding station. Although the food was likely gone, there was plenty of food scent, plus Lynn, Sue, and Hope scent remaining. The trail cam caught June marking the ground with her feet, and defecating at the base of the red pine. June was only around for a few minutes and it’s likely Hope was in a tree nearby and aware of June’s presence.

This red pine is one that June used as a bed tree with her second litter—the Lily, Cal, and Bud litter. Lily chose this area as part of her own territory shortly after family breakup in 2008. She and Hope used this bed tree extensively earlier this spring and we will learn whether Lily has given up this area to Hope. She certainly has avoided it so far. June mostly avoids the area, but occasionally passes through—so this visit by June is not entirely surprising. Such is the matriarchal society of bears.


About 3 AM, five hours after June’s visit, little Hope ventured back to the feeding site and checked out the scent and scat of June. We don’t know for sure what her reaction was—the trail cams take still images only every minute—but we do know Hope did not return to the feeding site today.

Cautious Hope may keep her distance until she gets extra hungry. Hope is in very good shape so she can go several days without eating if she has to. At this moment (8:02 PM), June is 2.2 miles southwest of Hope, and Lily is 1.6 miles northwest. We’ll see what the trail cams show in the morning. When Hope feels safe enough and hungry enough, we think she’ll be back.

However, we have formulated a plan in case she doesn’t show up overnight. We’ll map the main bed trees in the area so Gordon Buchanan can set up camera ‘traps’ in an effort to locate Hope.

Thank you for your continuing support of our research and educational efforts.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American Bear Center

She better not go do a disappearing act again!!

Status update: at least she has appeared!!

Lily the Black Bear June 16, 2010 (9:00 AM CDT) No sign of Hope at the feeding station this morning. However, the trail camera reveled she had been there at 9:03 PM last night and was around for about half an hour.

Thanks for the updates Anne-Marie. Honestly, you never know what you are going to read next

Interesting that it's Gordon Buchanan with the camera traps. I am assuming it's the same GB who does all those wonderful wildlife films and Springwatch/Autumnwatch?

Let's hope we get to see Hope soon.

Lai

I'm sure I've read that the BBC have been out there! I'm sure I'm not making it up!! Hmmm!! If it is the case they could still be there and could be the same Gordon Buchanan.


EDIT!!

Yes Lai it is, I've just found his Twitter page and he is certainly in Ely!! Oh how exciting. We could have a documentary including Lily and Hope.
http://twitter.com/gordonjbuchanan

well researched Anne-Marie - how wonderful

Lai

Update 16/6/10

Hope has been off foraging



Hope eating cherries - June 16, 2010Hope showed up on the trail camera for the first time today about 1 PM and then returned to the feeding station about 8 PM while we were there waiting for her. We had picked a few wild strawberries for her on the walk in to the feeding station. She seemed to recognize the berries and quickly polished them off. She then tried a nice black cherry but dropped it when she saw the pecans. But she dropped a pecan when she saw the mealworms and cleaned those all up before touching anything else. She gave a couple licks to blueberry pie filling (brought as a test) and then concentrated on the nuts for a long time. When she lost interest in the nuts, she checked her empty formula bowl. We filled it. Twice. She didn’t quite finish the second bowl. She produced a dropping that contained a few mealworms and grape skins (both eaten around 1 PM) as well as ants, ant pupae, and crayfish parts.

The collared research bears are mostly foraging in the older clear-cuts where the stumps and downed logs provide abundant ant pupae. June is a couple miles southeast of Hope and Lily was a mile southeast of Hope when her GPS quit working. We don’t know where she’s at the moment and will have to give her a new GPS tomorrow. We hope she’s fairly accessible.

Thank you for your wonderful donations and other help.

We also thank John Rogers (no relation) of Katmai Coastal Tours. John volunteered to give $10,000 to the Bear Center, which is essentially his profit, from his brown bear viewing trip of August 16-21, if 8 people sign up for the trip. The price per person is the usual $5,450 for that length trip. Six people have signed up. Two spaces remain. The main guide for the trip is Brad Josephs, one of the top guides in the business. Brad is thoroughly squared away about bear behavior. He leads a safe trip. On the last day or so, John Mitchell flies in as the guide to add another dimension. He is a plant expert as well as a bear expert. The trip is well within the salmon season, so you will be in the water wearing hip waders with huge bears safely chasing down salmon with hardly a glance toward you. It is the experience of a lifetime. People won’t believe your photos. This is where many TV programs about these bears are made. Everyone who has ever gone on one of these trips with me has gone home a missionary for these gentle giants whose reputations have been so distorted by hunting magazines, taxidermy, and excessive warnings. I have never felt the least bit uncomfortable among them. Brad knows these bears and gives a great, safe experience. For details, check www.katmaibears.com and call John at 1-800-532-8338. The food is great. You live on a big boat in calm waters, traveling from one experience to the next. The scenery is spectacular along the coast of Katmai National Park.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, North American Bear Center

Lai

Thanks for the update Lai. Hope looks as though she's testing all kinds of food at the moment
WS

And some lovely photo's taken from the trail cam
https://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/notes/lily-the-black-bear/hope-trail-cam-pics-june-16-2010/458404014477

Just found another cute picture!!

https://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/photo.php?pid=6324274&op=1&view=all&subj=458430894477&aid=-1&auser=0&oid=458430894477&id=263755115498

i love the photo of Hope eating cherries - thanks for the links Anne-Marie

Lai

Lai thanks for the update, Hope continues to do really well doesnt she which is such good news and thanks for the links to the pictures Anne-Marie, they are so cute.
catching up with Hope and hearing news on Lily is something I really look forward too, so thanks guys for doing a brilliant job for us all.

littlewid-x-

It's so lovely to read these updates and to learn that Hope is doing so well. It must be so frustrating for them to have just missed her on several occasions

Thanks for posting the update Anne-Marie.

Lai

Facebook update:
Hope appeared on the trail cam just after 5am -- but did not come while we were there 7-8:30. We left some food for her. We'll try again tonight.

Me thinks little Miss Hope doesn't want her radio collar on! She better hurry up accept it though because she is so much safer with it!!!

True - but she's probably having fun giving them the run around

Lai

Thanks for the update Anne-Marie, its good to hear that Hope is depending less on the food supplements and becoming more and more independent each day.

littlewid-x-