Hope, the most famous black bear cub in North America, has been abandoned again by her equally famous mother Lily. The latest separation comes just a week after the pair first became separated but were dramatically reunited.
The Duluth News-Tribune has an update on the story HERE.
Hope and Lily, so named by researchers at the North American Bear Center in Ely, achieved their fame last winter when Hope’s birth was captured by the Bear Center’s web-cam and web-cast to thousands.
Last week, however, the mother bear abandoned her cub for five days. The pair were reunited after an Ely area resident found Hope in a tree on her property. Bear Center founder Lynn Rogers and fellow researcher Susan Manfield rushed the cub to its mother, which accepted the cub.
The mother abandoned the cub again this week and at last report is far away from it. Meanwhile, the cub is thought to be weakened by the prolonged absence from its mother and possibly near death. The cub was briefly spotted early this morning, alive, near an area it has frequented.
In the News-Tribune story, a bear researcher from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources notes that it is not uncommon for 3-year-old mother bears, like Lily, to abandon cubs. Research has shown that older bear mothers are more successful at raising cubs than their younger counterparts.
You can follow the latest news on Hope and Lily, HERE, at the North American Bear Center web site.
Our previous posts on the Hope and Lily saga are HERE and HERE.