Hope, Rain, Fire, and Igor - UPDATE September 16, 2021
Hope the look - photo by Jackie Runions
Hope the look - photo by Jackie Runions
In memory of Hope, I saw this memorial about her from 10 years ago—a date many will never forget. Hope is the source of some of the best and worst memories of my career. The picture is her telling look of ‘No thanks’ to her collar. So many stories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clMDHDz5V2o .
On this day of rain and thunder, I’m thinking of the fire that is now 80 percent contained and no longer a threat to people’s cabins. One of the bears that showed up at the WRI when bears were fleeing the flames was Igor, a bear we had never seen before. He was thin and was coughing up blood and phlegm like we’d never seen before. We can only believe he was a victim of lack of food and severe smoke inhalation. He became a regular visitor. Today, he is healed and a regaining a healthy weight as he continues to prepare for winter. I wish I would have taken a picture of him.
Thank you for all you do.
Lynn Rogers, Biologist, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center