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Friday, January 22, 2010

Watch the NCT's Newest Bears Be Born

bear in den
Lily in her den (captured from the Bear Cam)

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from the North American Bear Center

Near Ely, Minnesota, a bear named Lily is about to give birth to cubs. The expected arrival date is today, January 22. And you may be able to watch it all! Click the link below to watch Lily, live.

The North American Bear Center, in Ely, Minnesota, has fitted this den with an infrared web cam. Actually, Lily is only 3 years old, so she is quite young, and it's impossible to tell if she is truly expecting. But her activity seems to indicate it. She is not in deep hibernation. Today, she seems to be quite active. She had plenty of fat stored when she first entered the den in fall. And she is bringing in cedar and fir boughs, to create clean bedding.

The exact location of the den is being kept secret, to protect Lily. But we can probably assume that any hikers of the Kekekabic Trail portion of the NCT might encounter Lily and her cubs this next summer!

Lily is a wild, female bear. She is part of a long-term study of black bears being conducted by the North American Bear Center. She is the 3-year-old daughter of a bear named June who is now 9 years old. June is the daughter of a bear named Shadow who is now 20. Shadow is the local matriarch of the bear clan in the Ely area.

When passing through Ely, which an NCT hiker is sure to do sooner or later, be sure to stop at the North American Bear Center. The facility opened to the public in 2007, and has acres of displays and trails to educate people about bears.

Two links are provided because the Bear Center's feed has been overwhelmed with visitors. Lily seems restless and uncomfortable at 10:30 am EST!

Lily gave birth to one cub around noon. You can see the segment caught from the web cam here.



See Lily's Den Cam
Or Lily's Den Cam

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