Li'l Smokey's Rehabilitation Blog

Update – Monday, December 29, 2008

Good evening, everyone.  Here is wishing you all a very Happy New Year from sunny Southern California.  Cheryl and I have been in Azusa since last Friday as we are helping Cheryl’s brother, Darryl, with the FTD float for the Rose Parade this Thursday.  It is a beautiful float, so, please, try to tune in and see just what we have been up to.  I have spent most of my time working on the butts of the elephants.  Well, OK!  I did work on other parts of the elephants also. 

I have been in touch with Denise and Sue Novasel and both of them are doing what they can to get the web cam up and going.  Right now, we are not sure what the problem is, but hopefully, they will be able to get it going tomorrow (Tuesday).  But, as Denise has already told you, you aren’t missing anything.  It appears that Li’l Smokey has finally settled down for that "Long Winter’s Rest!"

This is what we have been expecting him to do.  The other six cubs are mostly sleeping, but still are somewhat active, especially when they get some fresh water.  The other "bad" news is that the temperatures have been very UN-seasonably warm, reaching the mid 40s today. 

Cheryl and I will be home a week from this Sunday, but the center is in very good hands with all of our volunteers and board members. 

So, until we talk again, Cheryl and I would like to wish all of you a very Happy New Year and a very prosperous 2009.

Tom

While we're waiting for the web cam...

As you can see, we're still experiencing technical difficulties with the web cam. I heard from Denise earlier today, and she let me know that Smokey is still wrapped up tight in his igloo, so we're not missing much action right now.

While we're waiting, I thought some of you may enjoy visiting the video page on our website. This page has three short videos:

1. The first video is an update we did when Smokey first arrived at LTWC (when he was still very "li'l"). We all know that Smokey has made an amazing recovery, but this video really demonstrates how far he has come in just five months!

2. The second video is a wonderful story that Sacramento's ABC 10 did on LTWC last summer, a couple of weeks before Smokey arrived. This video shows a lot of the wildlife we had at LTWC at the time, including the other bear cubs we've had this year.

3. The last video, also from early last summer, shows the successful "surrogate release" of a young, orphaned merganser chick with an adult female who was willing to take the chick under her wing.

Also, to those of you who requested a Smokey photo gallery, we're working on it, but it will be a few days before it's ready.

In the meantime, thanks for your patience while we work on the web cam!

Karen
LTWC Webmaster

Merry Christmas

  

Smokey Update: 12/23/08 – 8:30pm

Good evening.  Well, as you all have seen, Li’l Smokey appears like he is getting ready to bed down for the winter.  Actually, I don’t think he will.  He has so much nosing around to do yet.  After all, he missed about 4 months worth of growing up and he needs to catch up, eh?

As I promised you, here is a picture of his current and final cage here at LTWC!  Some of us should live so well!  It is 20’ wide (from your left to right) and 14’ deep (front to back).  At the tallest point, this cage is about 14’ high as well.  Smokey can’t get quite that high, but his highest platform/perch is at about 9 – 9 ½ feet off the ground.

As you look at this picture, you can barely see the rounds of wood in the front right of the cage.  Directly behind the rounds is his igloo. Therefore, the camera is on the left side of the cage.  You can’t see his ramp, but it would go from lower right to upper left.

The orange thing on the front left of the picture is the water spicket we use to furnish Smokey his water.  The pipe is buried about 2 ½ feet under the surface, which is--most of the time--below the freeze line.  Yes.  We have had it so cold here before (30 degrees BELOW zero) that this line has frozen.  It has only happened once or twice, but definitely NOT the norm.

On the inside of the cage, as you can partially see, is chain link, which was a requirement of Fish and Game to allow us to use this cage as a second bear rehab cage.  And, indeed, we have used it, ever since installing the chain link.  This year, we also installed chain link on the Raccoon Cage, which you can see on the far left hand side of the picture, right next to the water supply.  The cage Smokey is now in, in case I haven’t told you before, is the Bobcat Cage.  Each of our cages is named for the animal for which it was intended.  But--like a lot of other wildlife rehab facilities--we have to make do with what we have, so our cages also must be versatile.  In the Bobcat Cage, we have had everything from bears to eagles to raccoons to skunks--and yes--even the occasional bobcat!

Here is another view of Smokey's cage.  From this view (looking north by north-east), you can see more of the walkway, our chair lift chair and the width of the walkway (about 4').  Sometimes, a second view gives you a better perspective.  Just to remind you--we did receive about 16-18 inches of snow earlier this week, but we then received almost one day of rain!  Basically, what the rain did was to compact the snow.  So, instead of seeing 1 1/2 feet of snow, it only shows about 12 - 14 inches.  But--alas--more on the way.

It was sunny today, but they are calling for a winter storm warning tonight through late tomorrow and even on Christmas Day.  So, if you have trouble seeing the web cam, rest assured, we will do what we can to get it up and running as quickly as possible.  While Cheryl and I are gone, two of our board members will be coming by on a daily basis to check in on all the bears and the golden eagle we have in house now and make sure they are all getting what they need.  Both of them are fairly computer savvy, so if there are any problems, I have the utmost confidence in them to get things resolved.  Well--at least one of them!

Talk to you all tomorrow.  Tom

Update - December 19, 2008

Hi everyone,
Tom posted the update below over in the comments section on the Webcam page on December 19. It's long buried under more recent posts by now, so we wanted to post it here in case anyone missed it.
- Karen

-------------

So!!! You are waiting for a reply from Tom????  Well, I try to provide what our Smokey community asks for. 

Sorry it has taken me so long to answer your comments regarding the T-Shirts and sweatshirts, but I had to go down to the Southern California for some meetings early this week. 

YES! We have thought about a T-shirt.  We even went so far as to pick out some pictures, but then, we wondered if we should "commercialize" this amazing little bear.  But, I can tell from all of your wonderful comments that something which would serve as a memory of our Li’l Smokey would mean a lot to you all.  We do have our own Graphic Artist, as you can tell by the T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, Polo Shirts, etc. on our store.  The people we work with are with Digital Concepts.  Since your interest is so high, we will post some of our ideas and we will accept your thoughts and ideas as to which design would be best.  But, we are going to have to do this after the New Year. 

Now, on to some of your questions and comments. 

Vicki E from Tucson.  Thank you for your Christmas present.  Yes, we did receive it. 

Lela – Yes.  We received your little "bear" gift.  It is beautiful.  Thank you. 

Lencho – Temps in deep winter in Tahoe?  They very -- GREATLY! Cheryl and I have lived in Tahoe for 33 years (next month) and we have seen temps in January and February as LOW as -33 degrees (that is 33 degrees BELOW ZERO) and as warm as 35 ABOVE ZERO! That is almost a 70 degree difference.  Obviously, not in the same year, BUT in the same location.  We just have to wait and see! 

Will we start feeding Smokey if he doesn’t den soon?  No.  He had his last supper on Monday, December 8, along with the other six cubs.  None of them will eat again until they wake up in the spring.  And, by the way -- the other six cubs are still active as well.  Not as much as they were a month ago, but, active, nonetheless.  Now that we have snow (between 18 and 24 inches this week at lake level so far), and cold temps (about 4 degrees above zero yesterday), that should be enough to kick their system into gear to begin their denning.  The wild bears locally are doing exactly the same thing, just now starting their denning.  We expect our bears to follow the same pattern.

Will we be drugging him to transport him to his release site?  Actually, that is more a question for Fish and Game, but, in order to get him into a cage, that answer is "Yes."  I would assume that they will give him a sedative about the time that he is placed in his den at the release site.  There is an electronic tracking device which has been ordered and will be fitted on him so he can be tracked.  For how long? I don’t know. That information will be passed along to us the day of his release.  As far as I know, F & G is still looking at the same time-frame we have been telling you –- late January or early February.  It all depends on when they can get their crew together. 

When he is released, will I give him a big "bear hug"? That is a good question. I am sure that I will want to -- but will I?  Stay tuned for that.  I definitely will be taking along at least my digital camera to document the release and possibly taking along a separate video camera.  That day will be very special, to say the least. 

By the way.  It took me two days to read up on all of your comments since I left Monday around noon.  You guys sure to like to keep things hopping, don’t you?  We certainly appreciate all of the positive comments and commentary.  Once again, I am sorry that I took as long as I did to get back to you.  Everything else with Smokey is doing very well.  As you all have seen, he is using the igloo again, pulling the straw up into the doorway to simulate a cave.

Smokey update in the San Francisco Chronicle

Click here to read Tom Stienstra's update on Li'l Smokey and the other bears cubs rehabbing at LTWC in yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle.

Smokey Update: December 12, 1:10pm

Hi everyone! Tom posted the following update as a comment on the webcam page yesterday to answer several questions. I'm posting it here as well in case you missed it there.
- Karen

Good afternoon. Let’s get right to your comments/questions.

Is the igloo in a different position?
 Yes. WE moved it. We wanted to give Smokey an option for a nest. Yes. He has made a nest under the ramp; however, in years past, we have had bears den in this cage, but in the same corner where his igloo was. We wanted to give him the opportunity to make his den/nest there, IF he chooses.

Also, we found some food under the igloo. Are we feeding him? No. He has not received any food from us since last Monday. That was his "Last Supper."

Why is Smokey still so active?
Actually, ALL seven bears are still active. Unfortunately, we can’t exactly forecast the weather (who can?), so we need to go by the meteorologists for their best guesses. We were told that there would be cold and snow starting earlier this week. Didn’t happen. (Sylvia, from Colorado, you called that one.) However -- we are expecting up to 2 feet of snow at the lake level (which we are about 200 feet above) starting tonight through mid next week. Also, the temperatures are going to drop – even further – at night, to the single digits (3 to 9 degrees). THAT should send a message to all seven cubs, along with no food, that it is time to hunker down. The daytime temperatures here have been in the 40s and even in the low 50s a couple of times. So, that didn’t help any. Also, the local wild bears have not denned yet. Strictly due to the warm weather, and the fact that most of them are still able to find food (from HUMAN garbage cans!).

What happened to his stuffed animals?
He has been having a wonderful time "playing" with them. And, yes, as you have already guessed, he has ripped the stuffing out of a couple of them. But, when we go in to change his water, we pick up the stuffing for his own protection. Would it hurt him if he did eat it? Probably not, but it would not be the best thing for him.

Is the web cam in a different position?
Yes. I moved it this morning. Several of you noticed the different position. And, for the record, Smokey cannot reach it, no matter how hard he tries. (At least I don’t think he can!) We noticed his different nest and tried to incorporate the camera with his igloo, the nest he has now and where we think he will nest.

Where is he nesting?
I did notice an area under the log ramp that shows he was nesting there. However, when I walked into his cage this morning, he was up on the second tier. We do have a nest box there and we did throw some straw up on that level, so it looks like he might be sleeping there as well.

Bottom Line: Smokey is doing very well. He is doing exactly what the other bears are doing. It has been warm in the afternoon, but that is going to change – drastically – starting Friday night. So, get your fixes in now. I have a feeling that he will be spending most  of his time in either the nest box on the second level, or in one of the two nests on the ground floor. He has been hardly spending any time in his igloo. The straw appeals much more to him at this point.

I will probably update again on Sunday or Monday.

Tom

Christmas Quill is Up

Hi everyone,

The Christmas issue of The Quill, LTWC's newsletter, is online at our website. This issue has a bunch of articles about Smokey, some great photos of some of the other wildlife that LTWC cared for this year, and much more.

To read The Quill, go to our website at http://www.ltwc.org/Quill.html, and click on the Christmas 2008 link.

Happy holidays to everyone!

Join LTWC's Email List!

After Smokey's release, we will be disabling the webcam for a while, likely until sometime next spring, when we begin receiving new animals to rehabilitate.

Currently, we're compiling an email distribution list, which we'll use to keep everyone informed about LTWC news and events, including when you should begin tuning in to the webcam again.

If you would like to join the email list, please send your name and email address to me, at karen@firsttracksservices.com. Or, you can post a comment here, on Smokey's blog, indicating that you'd like to be added to the list (be sure to include your correct email address in the form -- I'll be the only one who can see it).

It has been a pleasure reading everyone's comments about Li'l Smokey -- I hope you'll join us online again next spring!

Karen M. Johnson
LTWC Webmaster

A Little More Information

Many of you have been wondering if the bears are scared or afraid when released in their new den.

In our experience - plus what we have heard and discussed with other rehabbers who also raise and release bear cubs across the United States - when the bears are placed in their den, they then wake up and come out from the den.  They are "home" and their instincts kick in.

We, as a whole, do not think that the cubs have a "fear factor."  Remember, the cubs are released in January or February. That is winter here in the High Sierras and will be the same conditions in most areas where our bears come from.  During denning, their body will mostly shut down, meaning their heart rate will decrease from 60 beats a minute to about 10 beats a minute.  They will have lost weight.  Some more than others.  So, the first order of business? THEY EAT! Grass. They have to open up their digestive system - and then defecate.  Such is the life of a bear.

Will they survive?  Yes!  ALL of the bears we have released have survived.  All of the bear cubs, in our care this year, had at least 5 to 6 months with their mothers, living in the wild and being taught by her during that time.  We, at LTWC, have finished their training.  For example: fish and crawdads are always presented in water!  So, once they are released into the wild, if they want fish or crawdads, they know they have to go fishing – in water.  LTWC has not put in all of the hours of work, bought thousands of dollars of bear food and taught them what to recognize if we did not think and believe they would be surviving successfully, living a natural, free life, where just being a bear is the greatest gift of all. 

The Other Bears

Photo #1: Pictured here are three of the other cubs who are being rehabbed by LTWC this year.  The one on the right (yellow ear tag), came to us from Yosemite National Park, after her mom was struck by a car in April. The one on the left (the small one), came to us from the San Jacinto mountains in Southern California.  In all, we have seven cubs, all different sizes and colors, and with basically the same problem: they all lost their moms -- even Li'l Smokey.  But, in his case, he obviously had some other problems (burned paws) as well.

Photo #2: This photo shows ALL six cubs. Yes, at times like this, they are "buds."  But, when it comes time to eat, it is every cub for him/herself.  And "Don't get in my way." The other cubs came from Lake Tahoe, two from Auburn, Penn Valley (near Grass Valley), and of course, Shasta -- that would be Smokey.  I think you all know his story. 

Time to Hunker Down

Photo: Li'l Smokey, up in his perch, on Saturday, November 29, 2008

We are starting the procedure to put all seven of the cubs into hibernation. The process began yesterday, Monday, December 1.

We expect to be reducing the quantity of food to the cubs for seven to ten days until we get to a point where they receive no food.  At the same time, we're introducing them to tree branches.  What happens naturally in the wild is that, as the food sources dry up, bears begin to eat the branches, or at least the bark off of the branches.  They are unable to digest this, and, with less food, it acts as a blockage, preventing them from defecating. This tells them it is time to shut down the bodily functions and their heart rate actually slows from 55-65 beats per minute to a very slow 8-12 beats per minute.

When they are in captivity, like these seven are, they need assistance with this process.  In about 10 days, Smokey and the other six will be sleeping most of the time.

We will keep you informed.  Get your Smokey fix in now, while you can.  I'll be looking to see exactly where he will decide to "hunker down."  If it is in an area where there is some daylight, then I may turn the camera to face him there.  I will not be turning on the light we now have on after he begins the hibernation process.

Talk to you all soon.

Tom