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Post date: Feb 4, 2013 8:09:27 PM
OUTDOOR NEWS
By Tim Spielman Associate Editor
Posted on January 17, 2013
Ely, Minn. — Monday was “media day” at the Wildlife Research Institute outside Ely, and Dr. Lynn Rogers answered the questions of reporters, including those regarding a research bear’s twin cubs.
Those bear twins had arrived just a couple days earlier. The sow, dubbed Lily by Rogers and his crew, lay on her back while birthing, which “differed from her previous births and from what we expected,” according to the WRI.
Rogers and his associates are well-known for their observatory research, during which they often mingle with their subjects, black bears.
Tuesday, Rogers had shifted his attention, at least temporarily, to a letter he, on behalf of the WRI, received from the DNR about a month ago. The letter informed him the number of bears he would be allowed to collar would be reduced, called into question the value of his research, and said his studied, habituated bears were causing problems in the Ely area.
The letter, from DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr and dated Dec. 21, also says that allegations of bear hunter harassment are taken “very seriously.”
Rogers said Tuesday he would be formulating a response to the DNR, but added that he’d like to handle the situation privately.
“This should not be a public debate,” he said.
Rogers said he’d like to include in the discussion Landwehr, members of the Legislature, the mayor (presumably, of Ely), and the state governor.
According to the DNR, which issues the collaring permits for animal study to persons like Rogers and institutions like the WRI, “We continue to be concerned about the lack of scientific publications resulting from your research. We have previously stated an expectation that you would begin to publish the results of your research in scientific journals so that it can be of use to other bear scientists and managers.
“Again this year, your supporting documentation for the permit has no mention of hypothesis testing, statistical tests, or other protocols that follow scientific method …” the letter said.
Rogers defended his methods on Tuesday. “They keep harping on research … that’s laboratory kind of research,” he said.
Rogers said he and his staff conduct “observatory” research, similar, he said, to that of Jane Goodall (who studied wild chimps), Brian Bertram (who studies lions of the Serengeti), and Iain Douglas-Hamilton, who studied elephants.
He said he doesn’t want to rush, and have to later correct, his research.
“If you run to publication before you have a decent sample size, then you just have to contradict yourself later,” he said. “I know what I’m doing when it comes to research and education.”
The DNR also mentioned in the letter the “pattern of unacceptable behavior by apparently habituated bears … is creating situations for local residents and visitors that they should not have to tolerate, and also has the potential to affect human safety.”
The DNR lists a number of incidents in the area regarding collared study bears.
“People are telling us that they are unable to enjoy their property or are in fear for their safety due to this intolerable behavior,” Landwehr’s letter says.
“This type of behavior is also not healthy for the bears because it subjects them to an increased chance of being killed.”
Rogers said the reduction to 12 permitted collared bears will limit his research. At one time, he said, he had up to 17 bears collared.
“This year, they decided to put the screws a little tighter (when the limit was reduced to 15),” he said. “Now, they said, ‘let’s make it 12 bears.’
“There is no reason for what they’re doing.”
Regarding the number of bears the WRI collars, Rogers said, “We collar no more than we can study well.”
The DNR “relaxed” the site visit provision of Rogers’ permit. For example, the letter said, “visits to place a trail camera (or listening device) will not be considered a visit under the provisions of this permit. However, any disturbance of the den or a bear in the den will be considered a visit and is subject to the provision.”
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Reader Comments:
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Jan 19, 2013 08:42 am
Posted by Diane Moore
Are we to believe that only the WRI bears create a nuisance? It seems that is all we ever read about, partly due to the DNR News Releases. Did anyone write an article concerning the bear that was written about in the following 7-24-12 District 5 Weekly CO Report? "Officers responded to a call of a nuisance bear on Pine Island in Lake Vermilion, where the campers were forced to kill an aggressive male bear that had no fear of them. The campers attempted to chase the bear off several times, without success." If they did, I didn't see it, yet on 8-3-2012 the DNR issued a news release concerning the recently collared WRI bear that was shot by a CO in the same District.
I'd like to see some fair reporting by the DNR. Let them publish all the nuisance black bear complaints from around the state, for comparison, instead of just focusing on the WRI. Also, let them post a list of all the nuisance black bears that are killed, all over the state, whether by them or homeowners/hunters who do it out of hunting season. It's easy to focus on the WRI, because it gets a lot of attention, but everyone should know that nuisance bears aren't just around the Eagles Nest Township.
Jan 19, 2013 04:00 pm
Posted by Dixie Senft
The above mentioned recent collared bear destroyed by the DNR turned out not to even be a AWRI research bear. She was a friendly stranger who showed up and was collared until it could be determined who she was and who she may even have ben raised by. It is the reason I am sure why she was so clingy to humans, Poor thing was probably pretty confused by the time she was killed. And I also agree why the publicity concentration on research bear encounters and not bear encounters statewide. If you are going to move into a bears territory don't be surprised by bears passing through or even stopping to consume tasty morsels you leave out to feed birds or other wild life or even your pet. If left to their own bear ways, they move on and if not fed, likely won't return much, if at all. I would enjoy such an encounter as a unique wildlife experience instead of setting up som euniformed drama. Everyone living close to nature should make an effort to learn about it and not let it intimidate you. MN has a wonderful opportunity here to be the place that the Most that can be learned about the American Black Bear is taking place in your state. Have some pride in that knowledge and straighten out your boondoggle quickly and amicably and fairly. No I do not live in MN, I live in WI, but am proud to be right next door and thrilled to have learned so much about something I was so fearful of at one time. If someone like me can learn from all this, then just about anyone can.
Jan 19, 2013 05:47 pm
Posted by donminn jay
the 'trust' research with the black bears near ELY has opened the wild life of black bears to the world. only with the bears ''ignoring'' the researchers can the everyday life of the bears be observed. check this out >
Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Huwluo9HVI&feature=relmfu < .
to blame the research with ''every'' bear problem in the area is very disappointing. all you have to do is read the weekly DNR reports in this very newspaper. along with tv news an internet videos an articles people can see that bears can be a problem 'if' some people dont know how to co-exist with the animals.
to live in bear country its a 'must' that people understand these animals. an only thru this 'trust' research is this learning being made. from den cams an 'live' birth of cubs to 'walks' in the woods with the bears can they be understood. via pictures an videos the world have come to understand the bears better.
dont the bears deserve to be understood better? i an thousands of others on fb, in homes ,in schools an classrooms have followed the bears an learned about them.
Jan 20, 2013 11:03 am
Posted by Schmitty
Pull the permit! My guess is that nothing is getting published because there is nothing that we don't already know about these bears. They eat all summer and fall, mate, find a den for the winter, have their cubs, emerge in the Spring and repeat. When you hand feed bears you condition them to associate humans with food and some of them lose their fear of humans which can create dangerous situations. There is nothing natural about hand feeding wild animals. This "Dr" has made millions off habituated bears and causing conflicts with law abiding hunters. Pull his permit unless he agrees to print his "research" and stop hand feeding wild bears.
Jan 21, 2013 07:26 am
Posted by clm1117
With very little in the way of output - published research - and appeals to antihunters the Mn DNR has taken the proper approach. Use it or lose it. Put out research or lose your permit. What could be more fair?
Jan 22, 2013 01:32 pm
Posted by lardy125
"...There is no reason for what they’re doing."
Newsflash, genius - until you publish something credible, there's no reason for doing what YOU are doing either. Leave the bears alone, you're not doing them (nor us) any favors by performing this "research".
Jan 22, 2013 04:44 pm
Posted by The Mayor of Canyon
This is wonderful news. It looks like the efforts of the public calling for more scrutiny on Rogers scam is being heard. To bad they can't fine him heavily for future incidents! He can easily afford it with all the "bearheads" sending him millions for his "research".
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