Ben kilham is one of the foremost black bear researchers and rehabilitators in the country, and here he is, with one of his star bears, squirty. Bear rescuer takes in 27 cubs photo 1 pictures cbs news. If cubs are orphaned for any reason, they should be sent to a certified rehabilitation. Contrary to their image as solitary and notthatintelligent, kilham finds bears capable. The kilham bear center is a nonprofit rehabilitation. Responding to human black bear conflicts bear smart. Black bear cubs rescued and now in the care of bear rehabilitation expert, ben kilham of lyme, nh.
Governor chris sununu ben kilhams bear rehabilitation. There is a long held belief in new hampshire that our black bears hoot each spring. But a freezing winter and lack of food has killed more adult black bears. The bear essentials ben kilham 74 prepares orphaned bears for life in the wild. Unusually large group of orphaned bears keep each other. Bears make their beds for winter nh charitable foundation. While both are primarily responsible for the care of the cubs, ben is interested in learning from the cubs and observing their behavior. With help from his sister phoebe and his wife debbie, he raises cubs until theyre old enough to fend for themselves. After walking thousands of miles, mink the bear is almost.
Her cubs were transported to lyme bear expert ben kilham, a decision timmins feels was the right one. Over the past 20 winters, ben kilham has had, on average, three to five orphaned cubs hibernating in an. Ben kilham is new hampshires only licensed bear rehabilitator, and an expert on black bear behavior. His unorthodox approach to learning how bears live and interact may not earn him respect in the scientific community, but kilham seems to have a deep personal connection with his bears. Kilham founded the center for orphaned bear cubs in 1993 and is now known as a worldwide expert on bear rehabilitation. Learn more about the man who watches bears in new england. Ben kilham shares his insights on what it means when a bear falsecharges. They were lovingly know as the jackson five, and were very revered by the community. Ben kilham has an eightacre enclosure for the bears in new hampshire. They will stay there until june, when they are old enough to be released.
Bear rehabilitator ben kilham locates one of three bears he raised for 18 months after rescuing them 3 years ago. Ben kilham for his enlightened approach and contribution to the behavioural. In this photo provided by ben kilham, kilham is seen inside his 8acre forested enclosure with a bear cub, may 12, 2012 in lyme, n. Kilham bear center preserving the black bear population.
Hatch jr, award of excellence, was awarded to ben kilham, founder of the kilham bear center. During the thanksgiving holiday and in the midst of deer season, nhfg staff had been stretched thin, particularly as new reports of orphan bear cubs spiked. He has been rehabilitating and releasing injured, orphaned, and abandoned black bear cubs since 1993. Ben kilhams new book, out on a limb new hampshire public. In the spring of 1993, ben kilham, a naturalist who lives in the woodlands of. Andy contacted worldrenowned bear expert ben kilham who operates a regional bear rescue and rehabilitation facility. Abandoned bear rescued by vermont game warden on stratton. When a bad year for feeding followed a good one for breeding, new hampshires only licensed bear rehabilitator ended up with 27 orphaned cubs instead of the usual three or four. Lively orphaned bears keep nh rehabilitator busy the san.
While both are primarily responsible for the care of. A normal winter has him with about six in his enclosure. Wmcc students help track radio telemetrycollared moose in new hampshires north country. When a bad year for feeding followed a good one for breeding. Will staats, and bear rehabilitator ben kilham to evaluate black bear denning ecology. This past winter, ben kilham of lyme, the states only bear rehabilitator, hosted about 30 cubs for the winter. The states only bear rehabilitator is caring for a record 27 orphan bears this winter. Bear rehabilitator ben kilham of lyme said he has witnessed orphans being adopted by sows in the granite state and noted it likely happens more than people think. One of the three bears rescued recently when its mother was hit by a car and killed. Carrie tracked the cub in the snow to verify it had arrived alone without a mother.
Ben kilham is seen inside his 8acre forested enclosure with a bear cub, may 12, 2012, in lyme, n. Conservation community comes together to rescue bear cubs. Bears have no trouble reading us, but we have a hard time understanding them. Governor chris sununu ben kilham s bear rehabilitation. Ben kilham has more cubs than ever to care for after a harsh winter.
Bear rehabilitator raising more cubs as conflicts with humans continue. I have not seen a scientific evidence of this believe. Like humans, bears communicate and cooperate with strangers. Kilham gets fish and games highest honor local news. We look at the impact of the recent scarcity of food, and the likelihood that it might increase human bear interactions. When a bad year for feeding followed a good one for breeding, ben kilham, new hampshires only licensed bear rehabilitator, found himself spending the winter with 27 lively and orphaned cubs a. Meet ben kilham, bear whisperer new hampshire public radio. While spending thousands of hours with the cubs, kilham discovered unknown facets of bear behavior that have radically revised our understanding of animal behavior.
November 15, 2010 ben kilham is considered one of the leading bear behavior experts in north america. Bear rescuer takes in 27 cubs photo 2 pictures cbs news. He wandered off the path, hunted around for a few minutes, then got down on all fours. With help from his sister phoebe and his wife debbie, he raises them until theyre old enough to fend for themselves. In the spring of 1993, ben kilham, a naturalist who lives in the woodlands of new hampshire, began raising a pair of orphaned wild black bears.
Wmcc students help track radio telemetrycollared moose in. Explosion of orphaned baby bears keeps bear rehabilitator. He has taken over the care and rehabilitation of four orphaned cubs whose mother was killed by a hunter. He is licensed by the state of new hampshire as a wildlife rehabilitator. Andy contacted worldrenowned bear expert ben kilham, who operates a regional bear rescue and rehabilitation facility, the kilham bear center in lyme. Ben kilham, sometimes referred to as the bear whisperer, or papa bear, has spent his adult life studying black bear behavior. Ben kilham is the states only licensed bear rehabilitator. He has reinstated some 150 bears, mostly orphaned cubs, to the wild during his nearly three decades as a bear rehabilitator. Sawdust rains down on bear biologist ben kilham, who stands calmly below in the 24by40 foot enclosure. It varies by the individual bear and by the individual year, explained bear biologist ben kilham, author of several books on bear behavior, most recently in the company of bears. Someone tell these black bear cubs they should be sleeping. Foraging bear spared by governor returns to town with 4.
We are pleased to announce that the kilham bear center, inc. Reporter sean hurley recently spent some time with kilham, and among the bears. He normally takes in between three and five orphaned cubs a year. Something wild the bookshelf writers on a ne stage the folk show. Please join the friends of the jackson public library as they host black bear expert ben kilham discussing living with bears on sunday july 17, 2016 at 7. Kilham is new hampshires only licensed bear rehabilitator, and an expert on black bear behavior. Coowner of new hampshires only licensed bear rehabilitation facility, kilham is the states goto guy whenever game wardens are alerted to an.
His ursine tendencies arent surprising when you consider kilhams been studying and living with black bears for nearly 25 years. Bear rehabilitator busy with surge of orphaned cubs. Kilham recommended they keep the cub nearby by feeding it and both ben and andy reached out to nhfg bear team leader, andrew timmins. The kilham bear center serves as a model for wildlife rehabilitation centers throughout. The homeowner, who didnt want to be interviewed, told officials in her driveway on friday she fears for her childrens safety and wants the bear gone. To better understand the species, we wanted to talk to a bear, the closest thing we could get was ben kilham. He assists in rescuing abandoned cubs whose mother may have. Ben kilham is an internationally recognized bear rehabilitator who has been researching wild bears and caring for them for decades along with his sister and wife. So far, 27 orphaned black bear cubs have been found in new hampshire. Ben kilham operates the states only licensed bear rehabilitation facility with his sister phoebe kilham in lyme, n.
Carrie hunt msc for 30 years of dedicated handson work with bears, bear. Orphaned black bears flood lyme sanctuary animals unionleader. Ben kilham, owner of a bear rehabilitation center in lyme, nh, took in four cubs from the jackson five family group last november. Explosion of orphaned baby bears keeps bear rehabilitator very busy photos video ben kilham, new hampshires only licensed bear rehabilitator, found himself spending the winter with 27 lively and orphaned cubs which is a huge increase from the three to five he typically sees a year. Bear rehabilitator cares for 27 orphans daily mail online. Ben kilham and his sister, phoebe kilham, are licensed wildlife rehabilitators for the state of new hampshire. Kilham recommended they keep the cub nearby by feeding it. Ben kilham has spent years studying black bears in the forests of new hampshire. W atch this, ben kilham called out as we tromped through the new hampshire woods one fine summers day. Student dakota lurvey helped fish and game staff evaluate wood duck nesting box. New hampshires only licensed bear rehabilitator ended up with 27 orphaned cubs instead of the usual three or four.
Black bears are as much a part of new hampshire as fall foliage and stone walls, nevertheless they are a misunderstood species. The kilham bear center has been rehabilitating and releasing injured, orphaned and abandoned. Mother bears adopting orphan cubs becoming more common. The states bear population is about 6,000, hammond said. Kilham greets bolton, named for the town in vermont that he was found. Bear rehabilitator raising more cubs as conflicts with. In his new book, new hampshires ben kilham describes what hes.
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