Renewal In part because bears can be so dangerous, they force you to pay attention. The awe of being in their presence strips away the chaos of thoughts and distractions that normally dominate your consciousness. They focus your attention on the moment. They flood your blood with adrenaline and endorphins. They introduce you to terror, awe, amazement and ecstasy. They connect you to the deepest pulses of life. This is their gift. The power to take your life, or to renew it; to re-create who you are, if only for a moment, and perhaps for a lifetime. PROLOGUE I have observed the birth of two bear litters. In the eye of my mind, I can still see the steam rising from the hindquarters of the female I called Soocie as amniotic fluid burst free from her womb and flooded out onto the floor of her den. I recall the gentle plopping sound made by each of three cubs as they slid out of her body onto the cushion of her lower hind leg, and the slurping of her tongue as she gently removed the amniotic sac and licked them dry. Even now, I seem to hear the first mewing bawls of her neonates, surprisingly loud for such tiny animals, and then the lusty sounds of suckling and the gentle rattle of their purrs. The youngest cubs I have ever held were but hours old, and about the same size as newborn Husky pups–giving no hint of how large they would grow. I felt the cub’s warm breath on my lips, their downy soft fur on my cheek, and the coolness of their noses against my own. My hands vibrated with their purrs as they sucked on my fingers, vainly seeking milk that I was not equipped to provide. I have looked on the eyes of cubs before their eyes have seen the world, when their lids were sealed shut, blinding them for their first weeks after birth. When those eyes opened, in the dimness of their natal den, where the only light was snow-filtered translucence, I saw their obsidian pupils afloat in irises like sky blue pools that would one day turn into amber suns, alight with the intelligence and curiosity that make bears among the most intriguing creatures on earth. That I would someday acquire three cubs of my own, along with a foxy Goldilocks, came as a complete and wonderful surprise. This is the story of how my new bride, Alatanna, and I raised these cubs, helping them learn to fend for themselves in the Alaska wilderness, and of what they taught us about rapport and coexistence with our ursine kin–about the beauty within the beast. These were experiences I will never forget, experiences filled with high adventure, low humor, and a never-ending series of new scientific insights about bears–experiences which would never have occurred had their mother not raided cabins and suffered the consequences. Over the months that followed, each new insight revealed by the cubs opened doors to others, increasing our sense of being not merely visitors in the Alaska wilderness, but residents–participants in its cycles of life and death, drawing sustenance from the ecosystems until we too would eventually succumb, whereupon other organisms would draw sustenance from our bodies. ___________________________________________________________________________ PREFACE Part I: Bonding (Chapters 1–7) tells how Alatanna and I ended up adopting the cubs and our experiences bonding with them as our fear of bears, and the cubs’ fear of us, were gradually replaced with trust and affection. Part II: Preparing for Independence (chapters 8–14) tells how we helped the cubs master survival skills, while they introduced us to a whole world of new insights into the nature of bears– their aggression, communication, intelligence, curiosity, playfulness and affection. Where necessary, I have fleshed out my narrative with knowledge acquired from my more recent studies of black and grizzly bear behavior–which continue to this day. * * * My account is as accurate as journal notes, photos, films, and memories allow, with minor exceptions. ... * * * If you would like firsthand guidance on bear safety, communication, and ecology, you are welcome to sign up for one of my courses or bear-watching tours. These can be booked through http://web.mac.com/gobearviewing, katmaibears.com or Katmai Coastal Tours, 1-800/532-8338. Stephen F. Stringham Alaska, January 2002
Beauty Within the Beast
Kinship With Bears
in the Alaska Wilderness
(c) 2002   Stephen Stringham
Beauty Within the Beast (2)
 
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