Since January I've been paying attention to Lily and Hope. I'm a facebook fan of Hope. Hope is the daughter of Lily, a black bear in Ely, Minnesota. I watched the den-cam in January before Hope was born. Lily wasn't moving much but I could see her sides move as she breathed. I tried to slow my breathing down to match hers. I got dizzy doing that because she breathed so slowly. I watched the den cam on January 22 when Hope was born. I heard Hope's little cries and her snoring rumbling sound that she made when she nursed. I followed the story of Hope and Lily as they emerged from the den and started life in the woods. I saw photos of Hope taking her first steps. I read the blog the first time Hope climbed a tree. I read a couple weeks ago when Hope and Lily got separated for five days. I was happy to hear they found each other again (with some human intervention). Without Hope nursing for five days, Lily's breasts went dry. Now Hope and Lily are separated once again and possibly forever. Lily is three and she is not an attentive mother. What will happen? On her own, Hope will starve. Hope could be brought in a force fed with IV's - no life for a bear. She might learn to drink goat milk and other supplements but won't be able to be a wild black bear if that happens. My head knows Lily and Hope are just two black bears in the woods but my heart has bonded with them. I'm sad. Things are not looking good for Hope.
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