Bird Cams Around the World

If you clik on the link posted earlier for the news article re the DNR, the page has changed and now includes more information re the DNR taking Jason's body.

This is a joke. This is the DNR asserting their "power". Again, a hand slap. A lesson. This makes me sick. I want to say much more, but it's not in nice words.

Regardless of what we think was right or wrong here, many of us, and I'm sure the researchers, developed an emotional bond with these animals. To play this GAME is just disgusting.

Go ahead and get that permit, then most likely the body will be gone. "Oh, administrative error. We didn't know..blah blah blah".

Shame on DNR...PERIOD.

I hope they have enough to find out what happened.

Now I'm irritated.

Well I have been looking over some videos of the bear family, looking closely at Jason. I did notice something that I had forgotten I had seen before. I checked the video from Apr 8 with Faith and Jason climbing trees. Faith climbs and comes down, then Jason goes up a couple feet. Lily comes over pulling on him. Just then at the 1:33 seconds into the video, if you look closely it appears "like" Jason has a very small tremor or small seizing of his head until 1:39 seconds, where he is kind of "frozen" in position and not moving. Kind of like someone with parkinsons may have their head "shake" slightly. I looked back to Feb 27th video of Jason's Great Escape. After Lily pulls him back into the den, and Hope is licking his head, he is closeup to the camera near the bottom of the screen at almost exactly 5:00 minutes into the video, though his head is slightly down, it appears he is having a tremor lasting 5-8 seconds again. So, I am wondering if there could have been a neurological problem of some type effecting him or his walking, or causing pain. He seems to freeze on the tree, like waiting for it to pass. I thought it was odd when I first saw it, but got side tracked with other stuff. I would like someone else to view both these places in the videos and see what you think. I dont think he was shaking because he was "scared".

Edit: Or is there a simple explanation like, when kids are mad and hold their breath, do bear cubs get "angry" and this is a temper tantrum thing? I never saw cubs closeup like that other than Hopes videos, so I dont know and dont want to make something out of nothing, but am concerned.

Hi LeeLee.

Thank you for that information. It must have been hard to go back through the videos. I have a hard time looking at his picture without getting teary.. I'm such a baby. I looked at the spots you mentioned.

I do think I know what you are referring to, that shaking. I always thought it was just normal while his muscles were strengthening, early on. The last video of him, on 4/8, I thought it was very pronounced. I also thought it was odd that Faith had so much more energy than Jason.

Poor little guy. Just still so sad..

It's late and I'm guessing there won't be an update from NABC tonight with all the stuff that went on.

I did find this additional article that was posted by a Lily Fan on Facebook:

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/04/1 ... ound-dead/

By Lindsey Seavert, WCCO-TV

ELY (WCCO) — People around the world watched online as two Minnesota bear cubs were born in late January to the famous black bear Lily. Sadly, however, less than three months later, one of her cubs, Jason, has died.

Researchers at the North American Bear Center in Ely saw Jason take his last breaths Tuesday afternoon. Director Dr. Lynn Rogers studied Jason and Faith through the Den Cam and through observation, and early on, says Jason appeared to be the weaker cub.

“He was a little slower in development, a little slower in getting coordination than his sister,” said Rogers.

He says Lily took her cubs to higher ground when melting snow recently flooded the den, which was a little under a half of a mile away. Everyone enjoyed their new home, but Jason.

“Little Jason was just exhausted,” said Rogers. “We don’t know how he moved — if they carried him, dragged him, what they might have done.”

The bear family eventually left Jason behind, as he was too weak to help them search for food. Rogers says Jason appeared listless, but as researchers, their permits don’t allow them to intervene.

“When you see him struggling to live, your heart goes out to him, you think, I wish I could do something, but then you think of, we are here to do research,” said Dr. Rogers.

He says he could only watch Jason’s final moments Tuesday afternoon.

“He convulsed, he urinated, and breathed a few more times, and that was it, at 4:03 pm,” said Rogers. “What I think happened was he got so worn out from that trip where we saw him exhausted, he wasn’t able to get in there and nurse.”

Rogers posted the news on his website, where he says a quarter million people, including students at an estimated 500 schools, have followed the bears’ journey.

Rogers says he began a necropsy, or animal autopsy, to determine a cause of death as he usually does after a bear dies, when the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources stepped in to seize the bear and conduct their own necropsy. Minnesota DNR Communications Director Chris Niskanen called it their standard procedure during a wildlife death investigation.

Niskanen says Rogers can get what is known as a salvage permit to get the bear back for more studies after the DNR investigation is complete, within a few weeks.

However, Rogers said that in his 42 years of research, the DNR has never interrupted his animal autopsies. He calls it a delay in the process and an interference with science.

“Every time, if a bear dies and you want to find out why, you call the game warden to say that the bear died, you proceed with the autopsy, you get some information, and it all helps science,” said Rogers. “We are doing the best we can to find out exactly why Jason died, and it will help understand bears and the challenges they face a little better. We are doing to get to that as soon as the DNR lets us.”

Rogers posted video of the remaining family members — Lily, Hope, and Faith — at their new home Tuesday, the day Jason died.

Excerpt from The Lily Page
"Today, the DNR ordered us to turn over the tissue samples we had placed in formalin jars. A veterinarian from the University of Minnesota did further necropsy work on Jason’s remains at 3:00 PM today. Complete test results on the tissue samples will take time, but we hope to get a preliminary report on the early findings sooner. We have not been guaranteed copies of the report, but as the professionals studying this bear we assume we will be afforded that consideration. This all could be viewed as a good thing that would save us hundreds of dollars in lab fees if they do a thorough necropsy report. We hope the report will provide us all with some much-needed answers.

We are conducting the most thorough long-term study of black bear behavior and ecology ever done. Our research methods open the door to obtaining carcasses that previously would be lost. This gives us a new ability to learn causes of natural death. We want to think the DNR would be proud to work cooperatively with us. We also want to think the DNR would respect our work enough to give protection to the few bears in our intensive study.

We saw that some of you have called or emailed the DNR to express your exasperation. Totally understandable. However, please keep in mind that we are trying to build cooperation with the DNR. We, too, have been frustrated by the way they have handled this, but we are hopeful that all will be made right in the end.

Dang politics.
My compilation of videos in Lily FB
http://www.youtube.com/user/eiguoc#p/u/1/59kc7bg-VDU
and
http://www.youtube.com/user/eiguoc#p/u/0/xc3LF8JovR8

Something I just found on Hancock
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/volunteer/ju ... bears.html

Well, it seems these people just cant seem to do the right thing? I read on the update page last night that they want to "mount" Jason's little body as an exhibit in the NABC building. They couldnt just bury him? I really would think it would be better to bury his little body as it is - THIS IS GRAPHIC, Sorry - than to take his skin and place it on a resin mold of a bear cub, which is what is done. Plus, if formaldehyde is used, children cannot safely touch these things anyway. I know this is a common practice among trophy hunters, and some old timers in the biology field. More modern biologists do not do it. I am disgusted. Very life-like forms are created today for exhibits in wildlife places. Jason could have been remembered that way. They should have shown some respect for his little body and buried him. I am sickened. I am sorry if I was too descriptive and upset anyone, but I really had to say it. I do not want them to lose their permits, etc., but I am angry with them not relieving Jason's suffering, and now with how they decided to handle this.

Hi LeeLee.

I read that last night too and wasn't thrilled at all.

Can totally understand how you are feeling.

I was checking out the bearstudy videos on youtube, and noticed one dated 04 12 2011 which was the Tuesday Jason died. So I looked at it, and it was a video of Lily w Faith n Hope maybe nursing, then Faith climbing tree and chewing on branches near Lily. So while that video of the "Bear Family" was being taped, poor Jason was .25 mi away suffering near death. But keep filming. I guess no matter how much they try to "clean it up", I just dont get those people.

LeeLee, I made that connection too and it troubled me as well.

THANKS Mick and Carly. Someone posted a while back, it is better to try at least. You know what they have to live with now? They say they love bears, and want bear conservation, but when it came to dear sweet Jason, "they cant even say they TRIED". Shame on them

From the Facebook site,
Full report,

"We received the DNR veterinarian’s preliminary report on Jason today. It said the left knee was swollen to three times the size of the right knee. If poor Jason had an injured knee for awhile, it could explain his apparent lack of coordination and slower development while being the same size as Faith. Maybe he was just as well developed as Faith but had a hurt knee. If that’s true, no wonder he didn’t want to climb as high in trees as Faith or follow Lily as readily. No wonder he would hang back and cry when the others went off.

Jason had a number of bruises that the veterinarian attributed to bites. We don’t want to over-interpret this, but we can imagine him hanging back on the 0.42 mile trip on Friday, April 8th, and being picked up. Could that cause the bruising? One bite was across the head. We’ll know more when the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory completes their tests on tissue samples."

You were right LeeLee. Jason's knee was injured. I am so sorry.

I am sharing the same thoughts as all of you are. Re Hope: Just saw your post eiguoc. I read similar, but I think we have to remember that Hopes schedule was all screwed up by being abandoned. I believe it has taken a long time for her to adjust to normalcy. I am afraid when she is turned out she will still be behind a bit in confidence, etc. Re the bite marks: it is very possible some of the bite marks could be from Hope. I watched these cubs for long periods of time this year, where last year I could only watch Hope for 10 or 20 mins at a time, this year I watched for 3 hr groupings. Hope was extremely rough with Jason especially. I do have to say, I have recently seen other videos and programs showing moms with their cubs, (maybe they were all young first time moms?) and they were ALL rough like we have not seen before. I am sure Hope had not intention other than play. My main concern is the swollen knee, which I noticed around the 8th after several nights of rough play, and being yanked back in the den, that Jason was crying constantly, and after following Faith a few steps outside the den in the snow, he would sit his butt down and cry, and then proceed a few steps. Like I said earlier in posts, I am not a biologist, but even just watching for a longer time period each session, it caught my attention. According to their statements, on the 8th where they said "we know you are all concerned for Jason, but we believe he is fine and just slower developing than Faith" , they were aware of a problem. I would have examined him THEN if I was considering "crossing the line" and intervening at all, I wouldnt have waited until near death even. I mean, afterall, these people are "crossing the line" by FEEDING them acorns or hazelnuts as we all saw in the video. I recall being surprised, when they have all along been saying how Hope was not friendly w people, and maybe they could not collar her - how Lynn called her and she took the nuts from his hand. And then he handled the cubs. So some things they say just dont jibe with their actions. If they could handle the cubs then, what is the big deal about checking its legs or knee? I've worked w biologists who have had to shoot a rabid fox on occasion, etc even though the permit wasnt specific to that, and it was squared with the state or agency once all details were in. Most farmers and ranchers also know you NEVER let an animal suffer needlessly. Jason did not have to die possibly - a vet could have addressed his knee, supplement milk, and re released him to Lily later. But I can tell you I have talked with alot of old timer or hard-line biologists, and most of them do not believe in rehabbing any wildlife. When they say re education: we will never know how much we would have learned had Jason been examined, had bloodwork done, xrays, etc. I think their reasoning and excuses are lame, and I can only say shame on them. I now know what to expect once Lily kicks Hope out, and am not looking forward to hearing about it.

Edit: I dont want to come off as a know it all, and forgive me if I do. Whatever specifics are on their permits, and whatever these MN DNR people think of them, I think NABC has to reach out and find a middle ground to work better with them to solve these kinds of issues, so they can either help a cub, or have a vet go to the site and administer help or euthenasia for a cub. I understand its not appropriate to do this with all the adult bears there or even any adult bears there. It just seems wrong to do nothing for a cub suffering. Just my opinion, dont mean to offend anyone elses opinion.