Lily and Hope - The Black Bear and Cub

Action!
Action in the den! Another long bout of raucous play between Lily and Hope today, with Faith and Jason along for the ride—quite literally! Then Lily leaned out the entrance to eat snow and the cubs crawled into their familiar spot under her. When Lily pulled back into the den, the cubs were left behind! Faith was wide-eyed right in front of the camera, but Jason was so far out we could only see a bit of his fur! Faith was soon back in the den, but Jason crawled out of camera range. Hope made the first move to retrieve him but was quickly joined by Lily. Hard to tell who was doing the grunting. Hope pulled Jason back into the den by a hind leg as Lily nudged him with her nose! Both cubs certainly have their eyes open but they will more fully open over the next few days. The action in the den today was way too much for one video, so there are two



WS

Over the last couple of weeks, there has been a big debate into the protection of collered Bears to stop them being shot
Bad Day for the Bears
The day started early with an email to Lynn from MN DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr to arrange a phone call. We were optimistic. We hoped for good news. Then, before the call came, we received another email from Landwehr with an attached official letter stating that he would not protect radio-collared bears. We don’t understand the DNR’s reasoning.

We had been encouraged earlier to see a quote from Landwehr saying, “… we have to understand how people want to use natural resources, how that’s going to affect natural resources and how we can balance between those two. So, responsiveness means adjusting our programs to fit the needs of what people want.” We were encouraged because bears are a natural resource and the public wants protection for the radio-collared bears. An opinion poll in the Duluth News Tribune ran 9 to 1 in favor of protection http://www.northlandoutdoors.com/event/article/id/193217/publisher_ID/40/ .

The Fight is on

Everyone is working hard. Your networking has resulted in over 7,000 signatures on the petition at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/protect-research-bears-from-hunters-in-minnesota/ and some of the comments you are leaving there are being passed on to officials. When we first approved the petition we thought we could get 3,000 signatures, but once again you have surprised us! Interest in this petition is so high is has gotten the attention of the Care2 petition site and is considered ‘Hot!’

Team Protect is putting things together masterfully, working behind the scenes with Sue Mansfield to help things happen.

You are writing wonderful letters. Hunters are saying that if a hunter can’t see a bear well enough to see these ribbons, the hunter shouldn’t be shooting. Teachers are telling what the radio-collared bears mean to their students and are asking what they should say to the students when the bears are shot? An example is from Dana Coleman who teaches first grade in Andover, MN. She listed some names of officials and wrote,
“This group of officials does not see the importance of the long-term study of bears. Which one of you will then help me explain to my 23 first graders why one of the bears, that they have watched and read about daily, was shot and killed? The bears have grown up right before their eyes. They have discussed and wondered about the most deep and heartfelt issues any young 7 year old could possibly think about regarding these bears. They have learned interesting and valuable information in a way that no textbook could ever instill. Because of this group of bears, the den cam, and the daily research updates, my first graders and now their families have an enthusiastic curiosity in science, biology, nature, with a strong interest in our environment. This is a wonderful way to foster lifelong learning, yet a sad way to teach them the harsh realities of our political bureaucracy. Commissioner Tom Landwehr, the quote at the bottom of your email says, "Take a child outdoors today!” I do every day in my classroom. “

With Dana’s permission, we sent her words on to the St Paul Pioneer Press where Elizabeth Mohr is writing an article for the Sunday paper. We don’t know if we got it there in time for her to see it, though.

At Channel 6 in Duluth, David Hoole is working on a news piece for the Northland’s News Center evening news at 6 and 10 PM.

We added a couple of officials to the list of people who need letters. Here’s who they all are and why.

Senator Bakk is the senator from the study area. Without him, we don’t have much of a chance. He needs to know the importance of these bears, especially from his constituents.

Senator Thomas M. Bakk
100 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
State Office Building, Room 147
St Paul, MN 55155-1206
651-296-8881
Sen.tom.bakk@senate.mnThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Representative Dill is the representative from the study area. He is on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee where the bill would be introduced. Without his support, nothing happens. He knows the importance of these bears and especially wants to hear it from his constituents.

Representative David Dill
273 State Office Building
100 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-2190 800-339-0466
rep.david.dill@house.mnThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Representative McNamara is Chairman of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee where the bill would be introduced. Without his support, the bill is not heard. He needs to know the importance of these bears. He said that without a strong public outcry he wouldn’t be interested.

Representative Denny McNamara
375 State Office Building
100 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-3135
rep.denny.mcnamara@house.mnThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Senator Ingebrigtsen is Chaiman of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee where the bill would be introduced for the senate. Without his support, the bill is not heard. He needs to know the importance of these bears and that a lot of people care.

Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen
75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
Capitol Building, Room 303
St Paul, MN 55155-1606
651-297-8063
sen.bill.ingebrigtsen@senate.mnThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Representative Kahn is on board. She wants copies of your letters so she can show them to representatives and senators she talks to for support.

Representative Phyllis Kahn
353 State Office Building
100 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-4257
rep.phyllis.kahn@house.mnThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Commissioner Landwehr is stuck with having made a bad decision despite overwhelming reasons to protect these bears for the broad public. We believe Minnesota’s bears belong to all Minnesotans, not just a narrow interest, and that these radio-collared bears have values to the world and the scientific community. Will your letters lead him to reconsider? Will they lead him to not oppose legislation?

Commissioner Tom Landwehr
Minnesota DNR
500 Lafayette Road
St Paul, MN 55155
651-259-5555
Commissioner.dnr@state.mn.usThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Governor Dayton left the initial decision to the commissioner. Will your letters lead him to consider broader values? We can only try, and keep trying.

Governor Mark Dayton
Office of the Governor
130 State Capitol
75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
St Paul, MN 55155
651-201-3400
Fax: 651-797-1850
Short letters can also be submitted as 'Letters to the Editor' to the news papers on this list http://www.bear.org/website/images/stories/Documents/Minnesota_Media_Contacts.pdf

This video gives a sample of what we are fighting for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Wnu3Xwk4A.

Thank you for all you do.

—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
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You are Working

The petition jumped to over 11,600 signatures with many great comments. You are also coming up with ideas to consider. We’re hearing suggestions to hire a lobbyist and enlist celebrities. One of those suggestions was to contact Prince Charles, and it came with a well written letter ready to sign. You are working! Another repeated suggestion from many who are outraged that the new governor would let this happen is to picket the capitol. For ways you can help see http://www.bear.org/website/the-nabc/help-protect-radio-collared-bears.html.

Finaly after all that a clip of our favourite Bears, what a tradegy if they are shot after all they have been through
We continue to be amazed at the things we see in the den.


Thank you for all you do.

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

Dr Lynn Rogers and his team at the North American Bear Center, Ely, MN is working to win protection for radio-collared bears wearing bright ribbons in Minnesota. They need protection for this September, when the hunting season starts.

The petition is open for people from any Country to sign

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/protect-research-bears-from-hunters-in-minnesota/

Just signed WS. Thanks for posting the link. I also need a good catch up on Lily and Hope and the cubs

littlewid-x-

Im No. 16,815!!

SM

signed 10/3/11

Lai

Well done Guys every signiture helps
WS

How can you resist not helping these Guys Please sign the Petition above

WS

Aren't they just the cutest little things!!! That close up picture of Faith is just adorable! So inquisitive already! Lily is lucky she's got Hope there to keep an eye on things!! They sure like to wiggle about!!

They are really great photos AM. I think the first one, and the caption says it all. The Hunam Race could learn alot from that family of Bears, especially the Hunters. Its much better to Love, and Cherish things, than to shoot, and destroy them.

WS

Great result on the petition


WS

Great sound while it lasts
Lily and Hope discovered the microphone tube buried in snow under the camera tube. First Hope pulled off the foamy wind cover and brought that into the den. She and Lily played ‘take away’ with the foam until Hope returned to work on the mic tube while Lily shredded the foam. Hope managed to dislodge the tube and pull it into the den for great close-up sounds of the cubs nursing. We think (and hope…) the microphone is still in the tube. Watching them manipulate it, we wondered when the sound would go dead. We were relieved when they turned to chewing on vegetation and playing with each other and ignoring the microphone.







WS

Thanks WS - i'll have to catch up with this thread later, I am very behind on Lily and Hope news.

Lai

I just think this is one of those stories that worked out amazingly. Lily and Hope seem so close and raising Faith and Jason together. The high and extreme lows of Hopes first year is getting blurry in comparison.

SM

19March
2011A Family Outing
Lily’s whole family spent time outside again today. The cubs began coming out at 3 days of age earlier than Hope did, which fits with the feeling that Faith and Jason are developing faster than Hope did. They first came out on the 17th of March compared with the 21st for Hope. We say 3 days of age earlier because Faith and Jason were born a day earlier than Hope.

Lily fans are wondering if we will put a collar on Hope. We don’t know. The 2 unknowns are if Hope becomes more cooperative about collaring and if she remains with Lily for another year, making it unnecessary to radio-collar her this year. This will give us a year to see if we can get her more comfortable with the idea of collaring. She is “the untouchable one,” after all.

She is naughty, too. She licked the lens again even though we pushed it a couple inches farther into the pipe. She has a long sticky tongue, of course, for licking up ant pupae and grasping other foods in a miraculous-looking manner. Just before she put the den back into blurry obscurity, Hope showed us the inside of her mouth and her new canine teeth growing in nicely. The good growth she showed us contrasts with underfed bears that sometimes retain their baby canines to this age.

We wondered along with you why Lily would make a bed outside Thursday night. We thought of water in the den, but Lily’s underside was dry when she came out of the den earlier that day, and the usual response to water is to gather more bedding. The most likely reason for the bed outside is that on these balmy days it is actually warmer outside the den than in. The frost continues to inch deeper and deeper into the ground as winter progresses and this keeps the den cold long after the air begins to warm in spring. The high temperature for Thursday—the day Lily dug the bed outside—was 46 F, and the low was a warm 35 F. Balmy temperatures indeed for bears with full winter coats!


Today Hope found a few alder catkins and buds to eat. Lily dug down through the snow to the soil underneath. We wonder what she found there. We scanned the PTZ camera to locate Lily when we lost track of her and were surprised to find her inspecting the camera when we made it back around. The camera likely makes a bit of noise as it moves and that attracted her attention. Lily and Hope ventured away from the den a ways in the direction of a large cedar which is a potential bed tree. Lily was ‘post holing’ through the snow with Hope following in her footsteps.

A Cub is stuck under Hope


WS

One of the latest Videos of our Bear Family


WS

I need a big catch up with the bears at the weekend WS - thanks for posting.

Lai

One of the latest Videos of Faith & Jason. You wont believe what these two can do already


WS

If you have'nt seen the Family for a while, you wont believe what their doing


WS

Wow - i've been catching up with the family, the cubs are so adorable and it's great to see them all together as a family with Hope part of it all too.

Thanks for the updates and clips WS

Lai

So much to catch up on with Lily and Hope and the cubs. I need to sit down and go through it all properly. Hopefully Wednesday will be a good evening for me to do it. I don't want to skim through it quickly, I want to read it all and take it all in, so i'm coming back to this on Wednesday if thats ok.

littlewid-x-

**SOB** little Jason Bear passed away yesterday

Update April 12, 2011 – 10:43 PM CST
by Lily the Black Bear on Wednesday, 13 April 2011 at 05:35
Jason dies


Lily, Hope, and Faith at a white pine bed tree
Jason is dead. We saw his last breath at 4:03 PM today. We know how you feel because we know how we felt being there, seeing Jason struggling to live while we struggled to decide what is right or wrong for us to do. It’s the kind of thing where there will be as many opinions as people. It is one of the things we considered when we decided to place a Den Cam and write updates so everyone can see what we see and learn together with us.

Between the Den Cam and the trust-based research we do, we are seeing things that were only mysteries in the past. In most cases when a cub comes up missing, researchers can only guess what happened. With our methods, we watch cubs grow up, watch some fail, and sometimes are able to retrieve the body for autopsy. For Jason, the autopsy is tomorrow morning with a veterinarian with over 40 years experience.


Faith relaxes near Lily after nursing
Here’s what we saw. We snowmobiled to the den to fix the camera on Friday but found that the family had moved away from the den area. We homed in on Lily’s radio-collar and found them 0.26 miles away as the crow flies—0.42 miles away by the most likely route. We wondered how the cubs, especially Jason could move that far. Jason was beat and mainly wanted to sleep. Faith had energy. We hoped Jason would nurse, rest, and recover. We worried along with you.

Nature conspired against us the next couple days of rain and melting. There was too little snow for the snowmobile and too much for the 4-wheel-drive pickup. By Monday afternoon, the snow softened enough for the pickup to make it through. We hoped we would find Jason strong and recovered.

About 4:15 PM on Monday, we arrived at their big white pine and saw the bad news. Jason was much weaker, was alone, and Lily’s telemetry signal showed her to be a third of a mile away. He was so listless, we thought he would die overnight. We gently weighed him—just under 4 pounds.

Why did the others move? Did Lily feel the need to forage for the good of the others? Had Jason become too weak to climb to a nipple and nurse vigorously? Did Lily realize Jason was too far gone to survive and that she had to continue life with the healthy cubs?

We wondered what we should do. Should we help Jason? Could we help Jason? Our permit states that “The study bears shall not be possessed longer than necessary for scientific handling and shall not be kept in captivity.” If we couldn’t take him and give him hourly feedings, should we find someone who could? The only licensed rehab facility in Minnesota is 3 hours away. Should we call and see if they could take Jason? Could that be worked out soon enough to save him? The biggest question was what if we interfered and took Jason and Lily came back for him? She was only a third of a mile away. We felt we had to let nature take its course. This wasn’t like giving a hand to Hope to answer a host of scientific questions. We decided to leave Jason and monitor Lily’s radio-signal to see what she was doing in this crisis.

We stayed one to two tenths of a mile away from Lily to avoid any chance of influencing her activity. We found their tracks and learned that Hope and Faith were with her. The spacing of Faith’s tracks showed she was bouncing agilely along. The telemetry signals showed the family was continuously moving. An hour before dark, they were moving back toward Jason, but as darkness fell, they settled down for the night, again about a third of a mile away from Jason. We walked out of the woods late, which is why there was no update last night.

We checked Jason at 10:50 this morning. Weaker by far. He couldn’t lift his head. Lily was still a third of a mile away and not moving back. What could she be doing? How is Faith after the additional travel? Would she be next? We joined them to find answers.


Hope and Faith nurse side by side
Faith was fine and scampered 25 feet up the white pine they were at. Three feet from the tree was a log Lily and Hope had been tearing at for grubs. From the looks of it and the scats present, they had been there all day. Likely, they had found the log late yesterday, bedded by the tree, and worked on the log all day. We joined them for a couple hours in mid-afternoon. Faith and Hope nursed peacefully and vigorously together. Faith used her own nipple and the one Jason had been using. Hope used the two on her side. When they were done, they each checked the nipples the other had been using and the inguinal nipples between Lily’s legs. Hope and Lily dug at the log together. Faith napped and then played with vegetation and Lily. Hope paid little attention to Faith as Faith slept tight against the white pine.


Faith at base of white pine
When Faith woke up, we wanted to weigh her to compare her weight with Jason’s. She edged away. She is now past the trusting stage. We didn’t form a good enough bond with her in that stage, preferring to stay away and observe undisturbed behavior. She screamed, and we saw the biggest display of protective behavior we ever saw from Lily, or perhaps any bear. She came running and meant business. Her first look was at Faith. Then she glanced around for the culprit. Seeing none, she let Lynn know in no uncertain terms that he was too close even though he had backed up 10 feet as she came running. Seeing Lynn back-pedaling, she went back to Faith. Usually, bears that come to screaming cubs don’t consider Lynn the reason. We wondered if Jason had anything to do with her unusually strong protection of Faith. Five minutes later, she let us change her radio-collar just before we left.

We returned to Jason in time to see his final convulsion, urination, and last breaths at 4:03 PM. We brought him back for an autopsy. We called the game warden for a salvage permit and the veterinarian to schedule the autopsy.

Why did Jason fall behind Faith and die even though they appeared to be the same size? We don’t know yet. Our first guess is that sharing milk with Hope and dominant Faith might not have left him enough milk for full development. The nipple Jason used was less than half as swollen with milk as the one Faith was using.

There is much more to write, and we will know more tomorrow.

The good news is that Ted Oakes, the producer of The Bear Family and Me, said today that National Geographic will air the 3-part series in June.

We’re doing an impressive job in the Readers Digest contest. The link to vote 10 times in a row each day is http://wehearyouamerica.readersdigest.com/town.jsp?town=ELY&state=MN.

Thank you for all you do.

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