Earlier this year we posted a blog about the webcam at the Ely, Minnesota North American Bear Center. The webcam captured the daily escapades of 3 black bears, Lily, Hope and Jo. Recently in the middle of September, Hope, who was Lily's daughter disappeared.
Hope who was only 2 years old became an international star when her birth was broadcast over the internet from inside of her mother's den. Her mother, Lily even had her own Facebook page with 134,000 fans. Students at over 500 schools had been following Hope, Lily, and Lily's newborn cub, Faith, on the Bear Center's website and on Lily's Facebook page. Lynn Rogers, a senior researcher at the Bear Center was quoted as saying, " Hope changed a lot of lives. She drew people together."
However, after Hope's disappearance, Rogers said he was contacted on Tuesday of this week by a hunter who said he believed he had shot Hope when she came into his bait station on Sept. 16th. The hunter said he would not have shot Hope if he had known who she was but he also did not express any remorse.
It is against Minnesota's hunting regulations to shoot a bear that is fitted with a radio collar. Unfortunately, Hope was always able to get her collar off so she did not have one on at the time of her disappearance. At one time, Lily, her mother was bedded down only 165 yards away from the bait site also.
Roger's has declined to give the identity of the hunter away because he said it was a tragic accident. There has been a lot of sadness and anger expressed over the loss of Hope. Rogers himself has also said, "It's just one more instance of us being in the middle of a groundbreaking data set and having it cut short by a hunter killing a critical bear."
Lily,Hope's mother, has been acting differently also since Hope had disappeared. She has been staying close to her den and not coming around as before. It is presumed that she is grieving the loss of her daughter also.
Rest in peace Hope.
Hope who was only 2 years old became an international star when her birth was broadcast over the internet from inside of her mother's den. Her mother, Lily even had her own Facebook page with 134,000 fans. Students at over 500 schools had been following Hope, Lily, and Lily's newborn cub, Faith, on the Bear Center's website and on Lily's Facebook page. Lynn Rogers, a senior researcher at the Bear Center was quoted as saying, " Hope changed a lot of lives. She drew people together."
However, after Hope's disappearance, Rogers said he was contacted on Tuesday of this week by a hunter who said he believed he had shot Hope when she came into his bait station on Sept. 16th. The hunter said he would not have shot Hope if he had known who she was but he also did not express any remorse.
It is against Minnesota's hunting regulations to shoot a bear that is fitted with a radio collar. Unfortunately, Hope was always able to get her collar off so she did not have one on at the time of her disappearance. At one time, Lily, her mother was bedded down only 165 yards away from the bait site also.
Roger's has declined to give the identity of the hunter away because he said it was a tragic accident. There has been a lot of sadness and anger expressed over the loss of Hope. Rogers himself has also said, "It's just one more instance of us being in the middle of a groundbreaking data set and having it cut short by a hunter killing a critical bear."
Lily,Hope's mother, has been acting differently also since Hope had disappeared. She has been staying close to her den and not coming around as before. It is presumed that she is grieving the loss of her daughter also.
Rest in peace Hope.
Photo-Credit: Panda.Monia
Anytime an animal in the wild gets killed, I grieve. Man, I fear, will never learn to live with the former residents of an area - we tend to think we are the "higher" species. And to lose an animal from a Center where they are "safe" somehow confuses and infuriates me more - even tho it was an "accident", the bear was known and I am sure the situation could have been handled a whole lot different. May your journey be swift dear Hope!