Bear biologist: Mama-cub reunion 'most satisfying moment'
Lily the bear and her cub Hope are back together, roaming around for food a day after they were reunited by biologists in northern Minnesota.
Lily, who became famous after the birth of her cub was captured on webcam earlier this year, became separated from her cub on Friday. After five days of being separated, researchers at the North American Bear Center in Ely decided to intervene.
Lynn Rogers, a researcher at the center, said he had only ever read about cubs surviving on their own for four days. So on Wednesday, he and his wife captured the cub, put her into a pet carrier and let her loose near where they knew her mother was looking for her.
They found each other.
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"That was the most satisfying moment of my 44 years of bear research," Rogers said.
He said Lily made grunting noises -- a motherly sound -- and the cub cried out trying to nurse, Rogers said.
"What I was watching was the most beautiful outpouring of animal emotion I've every seen," Rogers said.
Many of Lily's 97,000 Facebook fans were also elated. The video of the reunion was posted on the center's website.
