0:00:14 > 0:00:16Lily is a seven-year-old black bear.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Every moment of her life has been played out online.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30And with almost 150,000 Facebook followers,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33she has become an international celebrity.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37You know, she just might be the most popular bear in the world
0:00:37 > 0:00:39and she lives right here in Minnesota.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42But Lily's fame has come at a price.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46As black bear and human populations have grown,
0:00:46 > 0:00:49she has become the focus of a passionate debate
0:00:49 > 0:00:52about how people and bears can live together.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Arguments have raged across the internet,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59and now, Lily has a price on her head.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01GUNSHOT
0:01:01 > 0:01:04So why do some people want her dead?
0:01:08 > 0:01:09It's the end of August,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12and the day before bear hunting season starts.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Dr Lynn Rogers is a pioneering scientist
0:01:17 > 0:01:21who has studied black bears for 45 years.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24We're on the trail. We got a signal now.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28For the next six weeks, black bears are fair game -
0:01:28 > 0:01:32and, for some hunters, top of their list of targets is Lily.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35This year, we're under special pressure,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39because there are people out there that are actually gunning for her.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43And I can't understand it.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48But, uh...she's achieved some fame
0:01:48 > 0:01:51and there's people who just want to shoot her as a special trophy.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56He is on his way to find her in the woods.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01The radio signal will give him a rough idea of her position.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07I can't see her yet, but...the signal says she's close.
0:02:09 > 0:02:10It's me!
0:02:11 > 0:02:12It's me, bear.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Come, Lily.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Oh...OK.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27Looking for adult black bears in the woods might seem foolhardy.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Lily weighs over 100kgs and is incredibly strong.
0:02:31 > 0:02:32Come on. Right here.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37She's known Lynn all her life
0:02:37 > 0:02:40and responds to the sound of his voice.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42OK, bear, come on.
0:02:42 > 0:02:43You're OK.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50You finally decided it was me, huh?
0:02:50 > 0:02:52OK.
0:02:52 > 0:02:53OK, here...
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Lily is not a pet, but rather a wild black bear
0:02:57 > 0:03:01who has spent her entire life in the woods.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02To understand how Lynn has built
0:03:02 > 0:03:05such a unique relationship with this bear
0:03:05 > 0:03:09and to find out why some people want her dead,
0:03:09 > 0:03:10we have to start at the beginning.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Lily's home is the Northwoods of Minnesota.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24It's much like any other woods in this part of North America,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26where we find black bears living alongside people.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36This is Eagles Nest.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37It's one of the communities
0:03:37 > 0:03:41where the debate about how people and bears should live together
0:03:41 > 0:03:42is being played out.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Some have concerns about their wild neighbours.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49They are very powerful.
0:03:49 > 0:03:50They can rip your arm off.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52They can kill you.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55They do major damage to you.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57They can disfigure you for life.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04They can get to 500-600lbs,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07and I've seen the damage that they have done
0:04:07 > 0:04:09with just a swipe of their paw.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15They could be in your garden shed or in your wood shed
0:04:15 > 0:04:17and you may startle them,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19they may be simply wanting to escape,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22but if you are in their exit path, it could be bad.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28What makes Eagles Nest so different from the rest of America
0:04:28 > 0:04:31is that some people have been feeding bears in their gardens
0:04:31 > 0:04:33for more than 50 years.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37I was scared to death -
0:04:37 > 0:04:40I would lie awake at night listening to see
0:04:40 > 0:04:43if a bear was going to break in to the cabin.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47And he would go home and leave me here with the children,
0:04:47 > 0:04:48two children.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51And I'd think, "Oh, I just hope a bear doesn't come around."
0:04:56 > 0:04:58But I just have overcome that fear.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03I have absolutely no fear of the bear any more at all.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05No, Dot. No.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07'They are a beautiful animal'
0:05:07 > 0:05:09and...sensitive.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14Just a beautiful animal to be able to be close to and be around.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Come on.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19No, you can't have the whole dish.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21At first, the bears were a little scary
0:05:21 > 0:05:24because we didn't know much about them
0:05:24 > 0:05:28except all the stories we'd heard over the years.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Yeah, the first night after we moved here,
0:05:30 > 0:05:34we had emptied a lot of boxes and put 'em out in the back yard,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37and there came the bears, looking through 'em,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41to see if there was anything good inside those boxes.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44And so then we thought, "OK, we have lots of bears!"
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Relationships like these are what attracted Lynn Rogers here.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Before he arrived in Eagles Nest,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57he had already been studying bears for two decades.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Black bears are secretive
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and, like other researchers,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07he rarely saw the animals he was studying.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Lynn thought there had to be a better way.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Until now, the only way to follow a bear
0:06:17 > 0:06:19was with a radio collar from the air.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24You track the bear from an aeroplane, looking at the tops of trees.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27You can't even see the bear that you're studying.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31You put some dots on a map, you think you know a lot about bears,
0:06:31 > 0:06:32cos you know where they went,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34but you have no idea what they're doing.
0:06:38 > 0:06:39This is why Eagles Nest
0:06:39 > 0:06:42presented such an amazing opportunity for Lynn -
0:06:42 > 0:06:46if people were comfortable feeding bears in their own gardens,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49why not build similar relationships with them in the wild?
0:06:52 > 0:06:56To come to that realisation took me an embarrassingly long time.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00I had to overcome my own fears, the stuff I grew up with,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03reading the hunting magazines, watching the media.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07I'm embarrassed to say how dumb I was.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10I mean, I'm supposed to have an open mind as a scientist.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12But something that's part of your being,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14this fear of bears -
0:07:14 > 0:07:17it takes a lot to overcome that with people.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Lynn wanted to uncover the black bear's world
0:07:20 > 0:07:22and the proximity of Eagles Nest
0:07:22 > 0:07:26offered him the chance to answer some important questions.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30One of the reason I'm studying bears right here in this spot
0:07:30 > 0:07:33is after studying bears for several decades
0:07:33 > 0:07:35in an area where they were not fed,
0:07:35 > 0:07:40I want to find out, with people moving ever more into bear habitat,
0:07:40 > 0:07:42what are the effects on the bears?
0:07:45 > 0:07:48With a bit of food, Lynn was able to gain the bears' trust
0:07:48 > 0:07:51and record how they behaved at first-hand.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55They take naps, they nurse their cubs,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58they make dens, they forage
0:07:58 > 0:08:01and pretty soon, it gets so you can put a camera
0:08:01 > 0:08:02just inches from the bear's face.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18As Lynn felt more and more comfortable
0:08:18 > 0:08:22being close to the bears, his confidence grew.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24In the winter of 2007,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27he did something many scientists considered risky.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Lynn put a camera inside the den of one of his research bears, June,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35just days after she gave birth to Lily.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Previously, it was thought too dangerous
0:08:43 > 0:08:45getting this close to a mother and her cubs.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51These moments were shared online,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55and from now on, Lily's fate would be inextricably linked
0:08:55 > 0:08:57to her growing popularity.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10With her distinctive light-brown face,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Lily stood out from her much darker brothers, Cal and Bud.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Lynn's long-term research colleague Sue Mansfield
0:09:22 > 0:09:25has filmed Lily's life from the very beginning.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28When Lily was born in 2007,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32she was the apple of our eyes,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34right off from the beginning.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37And she was also the dominant cub of that litter.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41I have a vivid recollection
0:09:41 > 0:09:44of watching her brothers, Cal and Bud,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46tussling as little cubs,
0:09:46 > 0:09:52and then, kind of, out of stage left or whatever comes Lily.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56And she just comes running and bowls them both right over.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59I mean, she was always the centre of attention.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21A year passed in Eagles Nest and Lily was now 15 months old.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24She emerged from her first winter hibernation
0:10:24 > 0:10:26together with her mother, June.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28And Lynn had big plans for her.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34'Lily is terrific, and she is the daughter of June,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36'the bear we have spent the most time with.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40'And we could go there and watch June interact with her cubs as if
0:10:40 > 0:10:47'we weren't there, and Lily grew up like that, trusting the researchers.'
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Together, using a little bit of food, Lynn and Sue were able to get
0:10:51 > 0:10:54close enough to put a radio collar on Lily.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58'I remember when we got a collar on Lily.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01'Um, you know, she was so busy eating the nuts
0:11:01 > 0:11:05'that she finally just gave up and just let us do it.'
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Previously, scientists would not have dreamed of getting this
0:11:08 > 0:11:12close to wild black bears without tranquilizing them.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14It was a breakthrough moment.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17But then, once the nuts were gone, suddenly she realises,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19"Oh, what's this?"
0:11:19 > 0:11:22And she's rolling around on the ground, you know,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25pawing at it, trying to get it off.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29After a while, they just give up and accept it and that's what she did.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31With her new collar fitted,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34they could follow Lily's every move on a computer.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38And, most importantly, walk with her in the woods.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Not to act like a proud parent or anything,
0:11:41 > 0:11:47but this family of bears is providing more information about bear biology
0:11:47 > 0:11:50than any bear in the world ever has.
0:11:52 > 0:11:58It's just amazing. The relationship Sue and I have with this family...
0:11:58 > 0:12:02opens the door to stuff we didn't believe was possible.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11It was pioneering but controversial because standard practice
0:12:11 > 0:12:15believed that a fed bear was a dangerous bear.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17In order to challenge this assumption,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Lynn and Sue spent time walking with Lily.
0:12:20 > 0:12:26They began a diary of her life, which they published online.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Lily was now being followed by thousands of bear enthusiasts
0:12:29 > 0:12:32every day on Lynn's research website.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52By now, Lily had become so famous that people came from far and wide
0:12:52 > 0:12:54to meet the bears in person.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01Now it's time to face your worst fear. Your worst nightmare here!
0:13:01 > 0:13:02What's his name?
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Black as midnight! LAUGHTER
0:13:04 > 0:13:10Lynn was encouraging people to overcome their instinctive fears.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Whoa, you're not even using your teeth!
0:13:16 > 0:13:19'I think people have a primal fear of any animal
0:13:19 > 0:13:23'that has bigger, more pointed teeth than we have.'
0:13:23 > 0:13:29They're the perfect animal to play the villain in TV programmes or
0:13:29 > 0:13:31whatever, with that kind of history.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35'We are fighting a big tradition of beliefs about bears.'
0:13:35 > 0:13:37OK, can you reach it, Dale?
0:13:37 > 0:13:39- CAMERA CLICKS - Cute paws!
0:13:39 > 0:13:43'The best way to do that is let people see real bears.'
0:13:43 > 0:13:47They learn directly from the bears, not from me,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50and nobody can refute what they have seen.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51You want a pecan?
0:13:51 > 0:13:53There!
0:13:53 > 0:13:57Records show that only one person every two years is
0:13:57 > 0:13:59killed by a black bear.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00In America,
0:14:00 > 0:14:04people are 100 times more likely to be killed by lightning.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19By now, Lily was a year-and-a-half old
0:14:19 > 0:14:22and nearly ready to leave her mother, June.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26LOW, MOTOR-LIKE GROWLS
0:14:37 > 0:14:41It's interesting that they are nursing just before family break-up.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47Cubs make a unique motor-like sound when they suckle.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49It means they are content.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51LOW GROWLS CONTINUE
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Female black bears normally have cubs every two years,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07and June was ready to mate again.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Then, a large male appeared in their territory.
0:15:30 > 0:15:36June's scent had attracted Big Harry. He's over 200kg.
0:15:46 > 0:15:52Male bears can kill youngsters, so Lily retreated up a tree.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Having mated, June's instinct would be to reject her cubs.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02From this moment on, Lily and her brothers would be on their own.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Lily's brothers, Cal and Bud,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16moved off to find new territories far away.
0:16:16 > 0:16:22Lily, as a daughter, was allowed to establish a territory within June's.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Lynn and Sue's research was going from strength to strength.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40After 15 years of following bears in Eagles Nest,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43they had a wealth of data on 14 collared bears.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47While Lynn and Sue were able to observe
0:16:47 > 0:16:51and record detailed behaviour as never before,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53some began to question their hands-on approach
0:16:53 > 0:16:55to studying the bears.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Was feeding bears making them dangerous?
0:17:19 > 0:17:23As winter approached, Lynn and Sue continued their research,
0:17:23 > 0:17:25following Lily's every move.
0:17:27 > 0:17:28She was pregnant...
0:17:30 > 0:17:33..presenting Lynn with a unique opportunity.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39For the first time, they set up a live den cam,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42broadcasting it online.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48CUB WHINES
0:17:58 > 0:18:03Lily's rise to fame came with the den cam in 2010.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07She gave birth to a single cub
0:18:07 > 0:18:12and became an overnight internet sensation.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14CUB SCREECHES
0:18:16 > 0:18:20Until now, scientists thought that black bears just slept
0:18:20 > 0:18:22through the winter.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27But the camera told a different story.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35The main reason we put that camera in there was
0:18:35 > 0:18:39so we could learn what happens in a den when nobody's there.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44And we thought, "Who would be interested in watching a bear sleep?"
0:18:44 > 0:18:48Well, it turned out there was way more than sleep going on in the den.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50CUB SCREECHES
0:18:50 > 0:18:53A den cam fan offered to set up a Facebook page
0:18:53 > 0:18:56for Lily the Black Bear.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58And she went viral.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Her popularity grew by the day.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09She just might be the most popular bear in the world,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11and she lives right here in Minnesota.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Lily became famous when she gave birth to a cub live on a webcam.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18Since then, her fan following has gone international.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22She has more than 131,000 fans on Facebook.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24LYNN: We couldn't believe what was happening.
0:19:24 > 0:19:30We saw people joining the Facebook page thousands per hour.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34150 countries around the world were watching her.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39There was over 500 classrooms following her daily.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42We knew that Lily was making a difference.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49When Lily and her cub, Hope, eventually emerged from hibernation
0:19:49 > 0:19:52in spring, they were oblivious to the fact
0:19:52 > 0:19:55they had become international celebrities.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58However, no-one was prepared for what was about to happen next.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14OK, no, no biting the shoe.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16HE CHUCKLES
0:20:19 > 0:20:23It was an early spring that year and Hope was very, very tiny
0:20:23 > 0:20:27when they left the den, and we were a little concerned about how
0:20:27 > 0:20:31things were going to work out. But things seemed to be going fine.
0:20:40 > 0:20:46We were very hopeful that it was going to be a successful litter.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50And, um, then, at one point,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Lily abandoned Hope.
0:20:55 > 0:20:56It's me, bear!
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Lily began to follow the trail of some male footprints,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06moving away from Hope.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09It's me, bear. Come, Lily! It's me!
0:21:12 > 0:21:15And then she kept going, and she didn't return.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Abandoned in the woods alone,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Hope was far too young to fend for herself.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29Too small to have a radio collar, she simply disappeared.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47All that Lynn and Sue could do was follow Lily...and wait.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51What I wish you could tell me is,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54why did you leave Hope, hm?
0:21:54 > 0:21:55Why did you do that?
0:21:58 > 0:22:00Made you look pretty bad, you know.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05The eyes of the world watched the drama unfold.
0:22:13 > 0:22:20It was very difficult to have this bear who had become
0:22:20 > 0:22:24so famous and had such a huge following, um...
0:22:26 > 0:22:28..leave her cub.
0:22:28 > 0:22:35And, um, I mean, even just for us as researchers, it was huge.
0:22:35 > 0:22:40And not only did we have that to deal with from our perspective,
0:22:40 > 0:22:46but we were also under the spotlight from thousands and thousands
0:22:46 > 0:22:51of people around the world that were watching the story unfold.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Both Sue and Lynn wanted to understand why Lily had
0:22:58 > 0:22:59abandoned Hope.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04After five days, Lynn was convinced that Hope was dead.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10But then, a lone cub was spotted.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Lynn went to investigate.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17It's hard to believe this is Hope up here, actually, because...
0:23:19 > 0:23:21..it's just so far.
0:23:31 > 0:23:32- DISTANT VOICE:- Hope!
0:23:32 > 0:23:34OK!
0:23:34 > 0:23:37- She almost came down... She went down.- Oh, OK.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39- Did you see her?- Yeah.
0:23:42 > 0:23:43It's me, bear.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46- It's me.- Don't you think that's her?
0:23:46 > 0:23:49- It's got to be her, right? - I do, yeah.- Yeah.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Unbelievably, it was Hope.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Her fans around the world went crazy.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05But the drama wasn't over. The big question was what to do next.
0:24:07 > 0:24:14We had this huge following and many people with opinions on what
0:24:14 > 0:24:19we should be doing, and we are struggling with a situation
0:24:19 > 0:24:22that was entirely new to us.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Should they let nature take its course, or intervene?
0:24:33 > 0:24:36HOPE SCREECHES FIERCELY
0:24:40 > 0:24:44They decided to take things into their own hands, driven by
0:24:44 > 0:24:47their belief that there was an opportunity to learn something new.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50And also, their own basic instincts.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52SCREECHING CONTINUES
0:24:58 > 0:25:00'We have been criticised,'
0:25:00 > 0:25:04but I don't know how anybody could work as closely as we do with these
0:25:04 > 0:25:09animals without getting emotionally involved to a certain extent.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13We're biologists, but we're human as well.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21Lynn and Sue attempted something no-one had done before -
0:25:21 > 0:25:24to reunite a lost bear cub with its mother.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Would Lily accept Hope?
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Eventually, Hope did begin to suckle...
0:25:48 > 0:25:50but after a couple of days,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53it became obvious that Lily's milk had run dry.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Lynn felt that it was likely that a hormonal change moved Lily's focus
0:26:02 > 0:26:05from looking after Hope to looking for a mate.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Now pregnant, her bond with Hope had weakened.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18She was left in the wild to her own devices.
0:26:18 > 0:26:23She was going downhill real fast. I was afraid she was going to die.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33They decided to provide food for Hope in the woods.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37We had already intervened by putting, you know, mom and cub
0:26:37 > 0:26:43back together again, so then it seems that there's a responsibility
0:26:43 > 0:26:47to ensure that the cub gets fed and not starve to death when it's with
0:26:47 > 0:26:52mom because she doesn't have milk, so it became a progression
0:26:52 > 0:26:53from there.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12Sue kept up her visits to Hope for a few weeks,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14and remarkably, it worked.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26I would stand there at the tree and I would call.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Sometimes she would come and sometimes she didn't.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Initially, if she didn't come, I'd still leave some food.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38As she got bigger, I thought, well, if she's not coming
0:27:38 > 0:27:40then she's probably just fine.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48To the delight of the thousands of Lily's fans, Hope had made it.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Saving Hope may have pleased some,
0:28:00 > 0:28:04but such an act was always going to divide opinion.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Marshall Helmberger, editor of the local newspaper,
0:28:08 > 0:28:12followed Lily's story during that time.
0:28:12 > 0:28:18Well, I think Lynn faced a dilemma here with what to do with Hope,
0:28:18 > 0:28:22but if you look at the past practice for Lynn,
0:28:22 > 0:28:26and also for other wildlife biologists,
0:28:26 > 0:28:30I think standard protocol in most wildlife research would be
0:28:30 > 0:28:34that you wouldn't intervene. Nature isn't a Disney production.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36It uh...
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Young animals die all the time.
0:28:40 > 0:28:45I think most people, at least in this area, would feel that you wouldn't
0:28:45 > 0:28:49treat a bear cub any differently simply because people are
0:28:49 > 0:28:52following its every movement on the internet.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02Lily and Hope's public drama had divided opinion.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06Although her fans were delighted, some local residents felt that this
0:29:06 > 0:29:10incident and the whole feeding of bears had gone a step too far.
0:29:10 > 0:29:17I just don't think it's a good idea in a populated area to feed
0:29:17 > 0:29:20these bears and get 'em so habituated to people,
0:29:20 > 0:29:24and look at us as a means of getting food.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27Cos that's what they're all about is getting fattened up
0:29:27 > 0:29:32for the winter. I just don't think it's a good idea. I really don't.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39Whether they are his research bears with collars or simply bears that
0:29:39 > 0:29:42like to use that feeding station,
0:29:42 > 0:29:46they learn to associate deck equals food.
0:29:50 > 0:29:56What's different here is you also don't let your grandkids go out
0:29:56 > 0:29:58with s'mores or ice cream cones
0:29:58 > 0:30:01and wander toward the back of the yard or on the road
0:30:01 > 0:30:04because if there's a bear anywhere around,
0:30:04 > 0:30:08they are going to come toward them because they think, "Oh, good,
0:30:08 > 0:30:10"there's a human here, they're bringing me food."
0:30:12 > 0:30:15It's kind of divided the community because there's been about
0:30:15 > 0:30:19a dozen households that have been hand-feeding bears
0:30:19 > 0:30:24in this community for over 50 years, and so most people that have lived
0:30:24 > 0:30:29here for a long time know bears, they're used to seeing bears.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33A bear can walk through their yard, it's a joy.
0:30:35 > 0:30:40In 2011, a group of 38 residents signed a letter protesting
0:30:40 > 0:30:44the renewal of Lynn Rogers' permit because, they said,
0:30:44 > 0:30:47his collared bears posed a risk to children among others.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56At the same time, the community of Eagles Nest set up a committee
0:30:56 > 0:30:58to resolve bear complaints.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Oblivious to all this controversy, one month later,
0:31:03 > 0:31:06Lily did something no-one expected.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09She re-united with Hope.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45However, Lily was in an unusual situation.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49She was now pregnant, with a very young cub in tow.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53And as winter arrived, Lily and Hope denned together.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05Lily gave birth to twins, one of which didn't survive.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10Once again, Lynn and Sue recorded the birth on a live webcam.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15It was a rare opportunity to see how a litter of different-aged cubs
0:32:15 > 0:32:16gets along.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34When the family emerged in spring, Hope and Lily were back out
0:32:34 > 0:32:36exploring the woods together.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49And the remaining cub provided a playmate.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12A few months later, in early September,
0:33:12 > 0:33:15Hope's story was to take a remarkable new twist.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22This was the very last footage of the family seen together.
0:33:26 > 0:33:27A popular Minnesota bear
0:33:27 > 0:33:30being tracked by the Wildlife Research Institute in Ely
0:33:30 > 0:33:32has vanished. The bear's name is Hope.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35The research group says they've had a hard time keeping a radio collar
0:33:35 > 0:33:40on Hope, and they fear that she may have been shot by a hunter.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44Hope was not wearing a collar to identify her as a research bear.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47She was legally shot at a hunter's bait site,
0:33:47 > 0:33:49close to Lynn's research cabin.
0:33:51 > 0:33:58To lose a bear that we've been following for that length of time
0:33:58 > 0:34:04is huge. Each year we learn more,
0:34:04 > 0:34:09and the data we collect builds on the data that we already have
0:34:09 > 0:34:13on that bear, and it...
0:34:13 > 0:34:19It informs and enriches the things that we've already collected.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27And to think that...
0:34:28 > 0:34:35..you know, that can be ended so quickly by a hunter's bullet, um...
0:34:41 > 0:34:44The shooting of Hope generated an international outcry
0:34:44 > 0:34:48from Lily's Facebook fans who attacked the hunter online.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53Some bear hunters lashed out at Lily's fans in response.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55They set up a rival Facebook site
0:34:55 > 0:34:58to give the hunting community's point of view.
0:34:58 > 0:34:59They felt that if the bears had names
0:34:59 > 0:35:03and became famous it would interfere with their right to hunt them.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05They began to take a stand against Lynn
0:35:05 > 0:35:07and his collared research bears.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11Lily became famous last year
0:35:11 > 0:35:14when she gave birth to a cub live on a webcam,
0:35:14 > 0:35:17but despite her popularity and the fact she's a research bear,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20Lily isn't protected by the State.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24Tonight, John Laurenson shows us why one group of hunters believes
0:35:24 > 0:35:25she is fair game.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Lily was now a bear with a bounty.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41Hunting in northern Minnesota is a way of life. It's big business.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46Bears are so successful here, their numbers need to be controlled.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50The state of Minnesota decides how many permits to award through
0:35:50 > 0:35:53a lottery system depending on the health of the bear population.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59The revenue then goes back into bear conservation.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06Rick and Cindy live in Eagles Nest, and like some residents,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09hunt bears not for trophies, but for food.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17I am a hunter. There's real satisfaction providing the food
0:36:17 > 0:36:20- that we eat.- We don't have to buy stuff at the grocery store,
0:36:20 > 0:36:24very little. We eat quite well.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27Rick has been approached by other hunters locally, and offered
0:36:27 > 0:36:32a reward for shooting Lily or her family of collared research bears.
0:36:32 > 0:36:36I was informed that there was a bounty out on collars
0:36:36 > 0:36:39and if I shot one to let them know,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43and then they would see that I got the money, which I...
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Yeah, I just kind of shook my head at that.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49I would definitely avoid shooting a collared bear.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Current legislation requires hunters to set out bait sites
0:36:55 > 0:36:57and shoot from high stands.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03This gives them the best chance for a clean humane shot.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09It's not illegal to shoot collared bears,
0:37:09 > 0:37:12but the State asks hunters not to.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17Right around here there's probably a larger percentage of collared bears
0:37:17 > 0:37:21than wild bears, and it's hard enough to attract them in as it is
0:37:21 > 0:37:24as a hunter. Four years ago...
0:37:24 > 0:37:31I had three different collared bears come in, which we passed on.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36- It's kind of hard to do, actually. - Yeah, it's like, hmm.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39We watched them and I can honestly say...
0:37:39 > 0:37:43I don't know whether I would have shot a collared bear at that point
0:37:43 > 0:37:46or not because I was getting rather frustrated.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49And luckily that decision didn't have to be made
0:37:49 > 0:37:52because a bear that came in that evening was the first bear I'd seen
0:37:52 > 0:37:55that year that didn't have a collar.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59- And it was a very tasty bear! - Yes, it was a very good bear!
0:37:59 > 0:38:00Yes, it was!
0:38:03 > 0:38:07There are about 50 bears living in the woods around Eagles Nest.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09This year Lynn has collared ten.
0:38:17 > 0:38:21Dot is Lily's ten-year-old niece, who visits Glen and Nancy's garden
0:38:21 > 0:38:23most days.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25Aster is Lily's younger sister.
0:38:27 > 0:38:28Come here, girl.
0:38:30 > 0:38:31Hey, girl.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37Any one of these bears could be shot during the hunting season...
0:38:37 > 0:38:39with Lily top of the list.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00We are now up to date with Lily's story. She is six years old,
0:39:00 > 0:39:03and it's the day before hunting season.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07I can hardly believe that people are out trying to shoot
0:39:07 > 0:39:12this mother with cubs wearing a radio collar that we have
0:39:12 > 0:39:16spent so many years working with.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20Lynn goes to great lengths to try to protect his collared bears.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26OK. All right, bear. Come on. Right here.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31He has come today to decorate her collar with ribbons.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34There. That was in your way, wasn't it?
0:39:34 > 0:39:36OK. I gotta go to work here.
0:39:36 > 0:39:42I support hunting, because if you don't control bear numbers
0:39:42 > 0:39:44to the number that people will tolerate,
0:39:44 > 0:39:47they just want to get rid of them.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51We just beg hunters not to shoot the radio collared bears.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53OK, there we go.
0:39:53 > 0:39:58We put ribbons on them so they can see that there's a collar.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01Most hunters respect that. Some don't.
0:40:01 > 0:40:06Well, I think anybody can see you. There's reflective strips on this.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11Hunting season starts tomorrow.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14For the next six weeks, Lynn and Sue track the collared bears,
0:40:14 > 0:40:17following their movements to try and keep them safe.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29Today is the first day of hunting season, September 1.
0:40:29 > 0:40:34That's why I didn't sleep much last night, why I got up well before dawn
0:40:34 > 0:40:38and was out just trying to see what was happening.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41The first bears I checked on when I came to work this morning,
0:40:41 > 0:40:43well, was Lily.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47Each of their collared bears sends a GPS signal every ten minutes
0:40:47 > 0:40:49to Lynn's computer.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52I'm looking to see where some of these bears are.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55So I check each bear, see if there's enough movement
0:40:55 > 0:41:00to be sure that it's still alive, and then is it in a location
0:41:00 > 0:41:03where there's likely to be a hunter's bait or not.
0:41:03 > 0:41:08If we see a cluster of locations, it makes us wonder what is wrong.
0:41:11 > 0:41:12GUNSHOT
0:41:17 > 0:41:20Shots have been heard close to Lynn's cabin.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25This time of year if you hear shooting, they're shooting a bear.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30I'm wearing orange because I don't want to get shot.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36We've seen some of the hunter blogs, we've seen...
0:41:38 > 0:41:45..the threats to these bears written on social media...
0:41:47 > 0:41:49..and we are worried.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58It's a hunter's vehicle.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04Lynn responds to every gunshot he hears.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07He follows his bears closely in hunting season,
0:42:07 > 0:42:10taking a personal risk to protect them.
0:42:10 > 0:42:11GUNSHOT
0:42:23 > 0:42:25This is close to Lily's territory,
0:42:25 > 0:42:28but it's another bear signal he's picked up.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30Aster - Lily's younger sister.
0:42:35 > 0:42:40Something is wrong. Aster is not responding to Lynn's voice,
0:42:40 > 0:42:43and her signal suggests she is not moving.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54It's me, bear. Come, come, Aster. You're OK.
0:42:54 > 0:42:55She's been shot.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04See her through the trees here.
0:43:04 > 0:43:11And uh, she got up and hobbled off. I don't want to press her any more
0:43:11 > 0:43:14cos she doesn't want company.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23This is the first confirmation that some hunters are targeting
0:43:23 > 0:43:25his collared bears.
0:43:29 > 0:43:34The way that leg is just dangling, I think it's a shoulder shot.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40There's probably bones broken up here.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00So far this year, Lily has escaped the bullets,
0:44:00 > 0:44:03but the odds are stacking up against her.
0:44:03 > 0:44:04It's me, bear.
0:44:08 > 0:44:12And there is more than just her life at stake this year.
0:44:13 > 0:44:14Come, Lily.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22Lily has two cubs - Ellie and Eli.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27It's now the middle of September and nuts and berries
0:44:27 > 0:44:29in the woods are becoming scarce.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51Ellie is seven months old, and like her mum is naturally inquisitive.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55Her brother Eli is more reserved.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03There are four weeks remaining in the hunting season,
0:45:03 > 0:45:05and natural food is becoming scarce in the woods.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13It's not the cold weather that drives the bears in to hibernation,
0:45:13 > 0:45:15it's the availability of food.
0:45:15 > 0:45:19And at this time of year, there are two alternatives,
0:45:19 > 0:45:22hunters' baits in the woods,
0:45:22 > 0:45:25or the gardens and bird feeders of Eagles Nest.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29But bears are not welcome at every cabin.
0:45:30 > 0:45:37I had a friend over, and we were watching television in my home here,
0:45:37 > 0:45:43and she turned around and looked out and said, "Oh, my God, the bear."
0:45:43 > 0:45:48As the bears become habituated to being around humans,
0:45:48 > 0:45:50it creates a problem.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53We've had bear come in to the yard, we've had them up on
0:45:53 > 0:45:55our deck, they broke railings off,
0:45:55 > 0:45:58trying to get in to the house for food.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01And, if I may...
0:46:01 > 0:46:04here is the bear.
0:46:04 > 0:46:05Like this.
0:46:05 > 0:46:10The bears that come here that are wild bears,
0:46:10 > 0:46:13which we enjoy, we have to sneak up
0:46:13 > 0:46:16to the window and be quiet, or they're gone,
0:46:16 > 0:46:21whereas the collared bears really don't feel any reason to leave
0:46:21 > 0:46:23until they're good and ready.
0:46:23 > 0:46:29In my opinion, it's not a matter of if but it's a matter of when
0:46:29 > 0:46:33someone in this immediate area is going to get mauled
0:46:33 > 0:46:38or even killed by a black bear, a collared bear.
0:46:38 > 0:46:43To fearful people, any bear that does not run away at the slightest
0:46:43 > 0:46:47sight of a person they consider a threat.
0:46:47 > 0:46:52What I have found everywhere I go, with grizzly bears, black bears,
0:46:52 > 0:46:59polar bears, what ever, if they are not afraid of people,
0:46:59 > 0:47:06they become less dangerous, they become less apt to attack.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11No-one has ever been attacked here in Eagles Nest.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13Until recently, bear complaints are lower here
0:47:13 > 0:47:16than elsewhere in Minnesota.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19However, the controversy surrounding Lily's family is now
0:47:19 > 0:47:21at crisis point.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23In June 2013, Lynn's research permit
0:47:23 > 0:47:26was restricted by the Department of Natural Resources,
0:47:26 > 0:47:32or DNR for short, partly because of fears for public safety.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34Lynn is currently suing the DNR,
0:47:34 > 0:47:37who were unavailable to comment for legal reasons.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40If Lynn loses, he will have to remove the collars from Lily
0:47:40 > 0:47:43and the other bears.
0:47:43 > 0:47:48At this point, this research project is fighting for survival.
0:47:48 > 0:47:56Although we have managed to educate a large proportion of the public,
0:47:56 > 0:48:01we have failed to educate wildlife officials,
0:48:01 > 0:48:06and the wildlife officials are the ones that make the rules
0:48:06 > 0:48:08that govern our permit.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13Until a judgment is reached, all they can do is try
0:48:13 > 0:48:16and keep their remaining collared bears safe.
0:48:23 > 0:48:28It's Friday the 13th, and ominously, Lynn sees something on Dot's
0:48:28 > 0:48:29signal that worries him.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40On the computer, Dot's collar took a fast ride
0:48:40 > 0:48:43from deep in the woods to in the middle of Ely,
0:48:43 > 0:48:47so that's where we're headed first.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50We're going to home in on signal in Ely...
0:48:52 > 0:48:53..using telemetry.
0:48:59 > 0:49:04Dot's signal leads Lynn to the house of a DNR state ranger.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06It can only mean one thing.
0:49:06 > 0:49:08She's been shot.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11Lynn and Sue are anxious to find out what happened.
0:49:20 > 0:49:24He said that he got a call to come pick up the collar
0:49:24 > 0:49:28from a hunter that shot her
0:49:28 > 0:49:32and everything was legal.
0:49:32 > 0:49:38So, it's another disappointment that, even though the DNR sent out
0:49:38 > 0:49:41a letter to all hunters in the area asking them
0:49:41 > 0:49:44not to shoot radio collared bears,
0:49:44 > 0:49:48and there's plenty press coverage and all asking that from us,
0:49:48 > 0:49:52and the signs we have everywhere, the ribbons on her collar,
0:49:52 > 0:49:56there was another hunter that didn't care, same as with Aster.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08It's really hard to understand why.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13It just feels senseless.
0:50:23 > 0:50:27That evening, there were a frenzy of comments online from both
0:50:27 > 0:50:29sides in the Facebook war.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43There are four weeks of hunting to get through,
0:50:43 > 0:50:45and Lily is clearly not safe.
0:50:47 > 0:50:48To make matters worse,
0:50:48 > 0:50:51she's now feeding underneath a hunter's camouflaged stand.
0:51:00 > 0:51:06Nearby, Aster, the bear that was wounded by a hunter, is still alive.
0:51:06 > 0:51:11What's amazing is, I can't believe it, in her condition,
0:51:11 > 0:51:15she was way down in the state park, walked 12 miles,
0:51:15 > 0:51:2220km north-northwest, deep into the road-less wilderness.
0:51:22 > 0:51:27She's now come back about eight miles to this dense cedar swamp,
0:51:27 > 0:51:31which is a common place that injured bears take refuge.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39The injured bears feel vulnerable. They know they can't run,
0:51:39 > 0:51:42they can't climb, they can't fight,
0:51:42 > 0:51:47so they just want to stay away from any danger.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54In the past, Lynn has seen bears recover
0:51:54 > 0:51:57from severe hunting injuries.
0:51:57 > 0:51:59I want to be able to track her to a den.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04She's pregnant, so that should be soon.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Hunting season is almost over,
0:52:28 > 0:52:32and time is running out for both bears and hunters.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50On the 27th of September,
0:52:50 > 0:52:54news came in of another collared bear being shot.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57It was June, Lily's mother,
0:52:57 > 0:53:00and Lynn's oldest and favourite research bear.
0:53:03 > 0:53:09Sue called and said the collar is at the Department of Natural Resources.
0:53:09 > 0:53:14I knew she was dead, and just hit with shock
0:53:14 > 0:53:17and then a feeling of emptiness,
0:53:17 > 0:53:21worse than some people that I've lost.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29It's kind of like an ending of an era.
0:53:38 > 0:53:44Killing June was the best way to get to Lynn and I,
0:53:44 > 0:53:46to hurt us, to hurt the research.
0:53:51 > 0:53:56In many ways, she will live on through everything
0:53:56 > 0:54:03that she's given to us, and the window into black bear life
0:54:03 > 0:54:09that she opened for us won't close with her death.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14Again, there was nothing illegal about the shooting...
0:54:15 > 0:54:19..but for Lynn and Sue, this was now the worst hunting season on record.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24Two of their bears have been killed and one injured.
0:54:27 > 0:54:32Any hunter looking to make a statement had certainly succeeded.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40Here in Eagles Nest, the relationship between people
0:54:40 > 0:54:43and bears is always going to be a close one.
0:54:48 > 0:54:53We love the bears. We do. We love the wildlife,
0:54:53 > 0:54:55that's why we are here. We love the wildlife.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59I think the bears are, they're a natural part of the environment,
0:54:59 > 0:55:03along with wolves and moose and everything else.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07We like to see them. It's part of it, it's part of why we moved here.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10I love to see the bears. I love to see any of the wildlife,
0:55:10 > 0:55:15but you got to take it with what it is. It's a wild animal.
0:55:15 > 0:55:20If the bears were still "wild", and were not as big a problem,
0:55:20 > 0:55:25as they are today, I would have no problem with that.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29A lot of times it isn't a bear problem, it's a people problem.
0:55:29 > 0:55:30Mm-hmm.
0:55:30 > 0:55:35The bears can learn to live with the people,
0:55:35 > 0:55:40and even though there's more people, I think the bears can adapt to that
0:55:40 > 0:55:44pretty well if the people will allow them to.
0:55:44 > 0:55:49The bears certainly do make Eagles Nest what it is for many people.
0:55:51 > 0:55:53Be it good or bad.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02Two weeks after hunting season ends,
0:56:02 > 0:56:06Lily finds a den deep in a rock crevice.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09It's me.
0:56:10 > 0:56:12It's me, bear.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16Come, Lily.
0:56:17 > 0:56:19You're OK, bear. It's me.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22It's me, bear.
0:56:25 > 0:56:26Ah.
0:56:27 > 0:56:32You're coming cautiously, aren't you? But you're coming.
0:56:32 > 0:56:33Good bear.
0:56:35 > 0:56:39For the first few weeks, she can be tempted out for a bit of food.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44OK. Right, bear. Come on. Right here.
0:56:48 > 0:56:49I'm just going to sit down here.
0:56:51 > 0:56:52Hey, bear.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56She is safe for another year,
0:56:56 > 0:57:00and now the hunting season is over, Lynn removes her ribbons for winter.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02Good bear.
0:57:02 > 0:57:06Lily and her cubs will remain in this den until spring next year.
0:57:14 > 0:57:16There.
0:57:16 > 0:57:20I know you don't care one wit about me, it's only the food,
0:57:20 > 0:57:22but I'm glad you're here.
0:57:24 > 0:57:25OK now.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31Ellie, the bolder female cub, doesn't turn down the opportunity
0:57:31 > 0:57:33for a snack.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40One of the great things is that Lily,
0:57:40 > 0:57:45probably the most famous bear alive, has made it through hunting season.
0:57:46 > 0:57:50She is settling down. I don't think she is vulnerable to a hunter
0:57:50 > 0:57:52any more this year.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58The future of Lynn's research with Lily
0:57:58 > 0:58:02and her family is uncertain until the legal battle is resolved.
0:58:03 > 0:58:06What we do know is that Lily has survived the most challenging
0:58:06 > 0:58:08year of her life.
0:58:08 > 0:58:13Lily is a pretty good bear. She has done more than just about any
0:58:13 > 0:58:16bear of letting us know about bear life.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20Lily is still alive. She will go on.
0:58:23 > 0:58:27The life of a celebrity bear is not without its hazards,
0:58:27 > 0:58:31but fortunately, she will spend the next five months below ground,
0:58:31 > 0:58:34out of the limelight.