Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub

Thanks for posting all the updates and photos Anne-Marie.

I really hope they stay in the top 5 and also that the Wildlife Research Institute will make it into the top 5.

Lai

Isn't it just the best news!!

Lily the Black Bear ‎**NEWS FLASH** Lily and Hope reunited on their own! Details in tonight's update! We're overjoyed! -- SM -- ( It's the last day of voting...ends tonight at 11:59pm EST https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/411838192-north-american-bear-center to VOTE NABC )

Lai

It's just so amazing. Another update. I think I'm going to on the Internet on my phone all night

Lily the Black Bear We watched Lily and Hope play hard, forage and nurse 4 times. They are sound asleep next to each other now. Surprisingly, Lily has resumed lactation! -- SM -- ( Added to keep the link visible...Voting ends tonight at 11:59pm EST https://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/411838192-north-american-bear-center to VOTE NABC )

And an article that someone has posted in the photo comments:

Laura Whitebean An Ely black bear and her cub have reunited after 1½ months apart.

Researchers Sue Mansfield and Lynn Rogers of the North American Bear Center confirmed today that Lily and her 5-month-old cub, Hope, reunited Sunday after the mother wandered into the cub’s area.

The two were discovered together today by Mansfield, who has been the afternoon videotaping mother and cub and recording their behavior. Mansfield and Rogers estimate that the bears have been together since 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

“It just happened on their own. Lily got into Hope’s area,” Rogers said. “Lily will not let Hope out of her sight. They’ve been playing endlessly.”

Despite the time apart, Lily managed to nurse Hope today. Rogers said a veterinarian who was with Mansfield was able to confirm Lily produced milk.

“I’m with them right now, and it’s pretty intense,” Mansfield said this afternoon during a phone interview.

Mansfield told Rogers that when Hope has something to eat, she snuggles up to Lily for security.

"This means Hope will be able to sleep more," Rogers said. "I think they're going to stick."

Check back to duluthnewstribune.com for more on this story as it develops.

I might be humanising lily too much here with this thought, but I wonder if she realised she was coming into estrus and knew the best way of keeping her alive was to leave her (male bear would kill her) and hope that dr Lynn and sue would look after her, knowing she'd come across her at a later date. I'm sure it's very far fetched but a nice thought.

AM this is fantastic news. Isnt nature just wonderful and so unpredictable. I hope Lily and Hope stay together now, but at least we know for the future Hope is a survivor and if they are parted again Hope will have had the experience of fending for herself.

You may think you are taking the humanising view, but AM it is logical/reasonable that Lily may have been protecting Hope if she had come into estrus. Never looked at is from that angle.

Cant wait to see the footage.

SM

It's a lovely thought Anne-Marie and you may well be right, we will never know, but how wonderful and truely exciting that they are back together, I am so so pleased for both of them, I've almost forgotten what I read before this exciting news.
Its the best news of the day, infact the best news for a while, please let them stay together now and no more dilemas.
I imagine Lynne and Sue are over the moon and will follow them both really closely, I cant get over this, and to think they can now den together and Hope will be safe with Lily.
Just the best news ever and thank you so much for posting all the excitement and all the news before this latest post Anne-Marie......it really is now back to a Lily and Hope update isnt it

littlewid-x-

This is fantastic news. Mrs S is going to be over the moon when I tell her, she's fast asleep now, but I bet she'd forgive me if I woke her to tell her
This really is great news though, and it would be really good if they stick together, Hopw will be a lot safer with Lilly if they Den together in the winter. That is a really interestin angle AM, and it could well be right, as the reseachers have said they know so little about Bear behavour that they proberbly dont know themselves. Thanks for brilliant update AM, and keeping us all in touch
WS

The best news of the week - the photos are lovely and maybe you are right Anne-Marie, perhaps Lily was trying to protect Hope.

These updates are just great, although sometimes a bit of a roller coaster

Lai

Update July 12, 2010 9:15 PM CDTShare
Today at 03:57
Reunited!


Lily and Hope together at last! - July 12, 2010
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



And a photo!!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6584990&op=1&view=all&subj=469521254477&aid=-1&auser=0&oid=469521254477&id=263755115498

And a video!!