First Live Bear Cam Installed in Maine Wild Bear Den
OutdoorHub 02.03.12
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the newly-formed Wildlife Research Foundation have worked together to bring to reality the first Live Bear Cam of a Maine wild Black Bear.
The 24/7 streaming video can be seen and heard on the Foundation’s website at www.wildliferesearchfoundation.org.
The camera was placed in the den of a Maine Black Bear “Lugnut” who gave birth to two cubs on January 16. Lugnut is one of the DIF&W’s radio collared bears, and two other collared bears, “Spunky” and “Nell” have also been filmed and their stories are told on the website.
The camera in the den will remain with Lugnut and her growing cubs until the spring when they will venture outside and can be tracked with their radio collars.
The Wildlife Research Foundation was founded by the Goodman family, who has been meeting with landowners, outdoor recreation groups and others to expand the Foundation.
The Foundation’s goal, as stated by founder Dale Goodman, “is to provide funds and support to the scientific community and wildlife managers to enhance wildlife and habitat research and inform and educate the general public concerning the value and necessity of wildlife research”.
The website contains a donate button and monies raised will go to DIF&W’s wildlife research projects. The Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit, and contributions are tax deductible.
The website had over 15,000 visitors in its first two weeks of being live, and now entering its fourth week, is at approximately 78,000 viewers.
DIF&W Commissioner Chandler Woodcock stated “we are thrilled to be a part of this exciting endeavor. We have always been very proud of our bear research project headed by two of the best bear biologists in the country – Randy Cross and Jennifer Vashon. The Foundation and their website will help bring more attention and hopefully more funding to what we do here in Maine for the management of all our wildlife.”
The Foundation plans to contact schools, community groups and others interested organizations throughout Maine to talk about the website and encourage them to use the streaming video as a learning tool and to donate to the Foundation for support of DIF&W.
