Bear "researcher" loses research permit (Lily the Internet Sensation Bear, from Minnesota)

[Brickbat]

http://www.startribune.com/local/213574481.html

He hand-fed wild black bears to get up close in his research, collaring his subjects for satellite tracking. He posted live Internet video feeds from their dens, attracting more than 140,000 Facebook followers who got to know bears such as Lily and Hope on a first-name basis.

But renowned bear researcher Lynn Rogers says that’s all over now because the state Department of Natural Resources pulled his permit on Friday after 14 years.

“I’m devastated,” said Rogers, 74, from his North American Bear Center near Ely, Minn. “It’s the end of my 46 years of black bear research.”

Tension between Rogers and the DNR has been rising for years, with heated written volleys. Commissioner Tom Landwehr, in a letter dated Friday, accused Rogers “of extremely unprofessional behavior with research bears.”

Makes sense to me. What he was doing wasn't research.

[Cirque du So-What]

1. From reading the article, I have to agree with you

Despite the ongoing feud between Rogers and the DNR, he should be thankful that he's allowed to continue 'research' with captive bears, who don't pose the same danger to the public as the wild bears he was hand-feeding. I also have every reason to believe the DNR accounts of bears approaching people in cars and picnic areas - a well-documented occurrence when bears come to associate humans with food.