Bear Yearling Release: 2/10/97

Where did the bears come from?
The bear cubs were discovered by loggers when their equipment accidently overturned a log being used as a den site. The sow left the area. Biologists watched over the site until they determined she would not return, then the cubs, whose age was 4-6 weeks, were taken to the Department of Natural Resources' MacKenzie Environmental Center at Poynette.

Who cared for the bears?
Dan Mautz, MacKenzie Environmental Center Wildlife Technician has been in charge of the cubs since about mid-March, 1996 untill the release in Febuary 1997.

What special rearing did they have?
The two bear cubs were isolated from contact with all humans except Mautz for thier first two months at MacKenzie Center. He had to bottle feed them at first but the placed them into an area that was isolated from all human contact. Food for the young bear was placed in an enclosure. After the first two months of rearing, during mid-May, they were allowed into an outside enclosure but brush and boughs were placed so they could hide form contact with humans. Mautz and volunteers picked wild grapes, blackberries, other berries, and gathered grasses for the bear to eat so they would learn about natural foods. In addition, the food was supplemented with fruit and vegetabels. Some dog food and milk was a replacer to provide adequate protein.

Why was special rearing necesssary?
The special rearing technisques, are important so that the young bear do not become "imprinted" on humans and want to go to people for food but instead retain their wild nature. By taking care to feed native grasses and wild berries to the bears Mautz and the volunteer food-gathers are making sure the young yearlings will know what type of natural foods to seek.

What do we hope to gain from this project?
This project has two major goals. The first goal is to find out, by remote tracking of the bear cubs, if they can be successfully placed in a den and assimilate into the wild. While yearlings have been placed in dens like this before, remote tracking of radio-collared yearlings has not been done to determine the success of the effort. The second goal is to provide an educational opportunity for the students in Augusta, Fall Creek and Altoona who will do remote tracking, and computer modelling of the results. In addition, by placing results on a worldwide web page on the Internet the students will make their information available to students throughuot Wisconsin and elsewhere in the world. By undertaking this project the teachers and students are significantly aiding the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in the labor-intensive project.

What training is going to be provided to the students?
Special classes will be conducted for students in the three schools at Beaver Creek Reserve. Department of Natural Resources staff will discuss remote telemetry, modelling, bear ecology and bear management in Wisconsin.

Has this been done elsewhere?
Bear have been released into the wild elsewhere and yearlings have been placed in dens elsewhere. This is the first time that remote telemetry well be used to this extent and the most extensive use of students in such a project.

Is there interest among biologists in other states?
Department of Natural Resources wildlife managers have recieved inquiaries from wildlife managers in Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho, and Louisiana among other states. If successuful the work will further the understranding of biologists seeking to successfully place bears taken form the wild back into the wild.

How will iformation about this work be shared?
Teachers and students are sharing their work on an Internet world wide web home page which is linked to the Department of Natural Resources home page. The address of the Department of Natural Resources web page is www.dnr.state.wi.us. In addition the sudy will be submitted to the Journal of Mammalogy and presented to bear researchers at national bear biologist's meetings.