Sunday, October 03, 2010
West Virginia’s DNR Suspects Quagmire Has Died
WEST VIRGINIA....
In the early 1980s, a black bear known as Quagmire was released to roam West Virginia’s woods. DNR biologists trapped her, tranquilized her and put a radio collar on her. To differentiate between her and dozens of other radio-collared bears, they gave her a name. Quagmire lived a typical black bear life, while she bore litters of cubs, her last litter at age 25. Officials estimate she contributed about 20 cubs to the state’s bear population. Year after year biologists tracked her comings and goings by following the steady beep-beep of her collar’s radio signal. After a decade or so, followers noticed she had lived far longer than the average bear, as they celebrated her 20th year, and then her 25th. Quagmire dropped off the DNR’s map last fall, but her collar showed she was alive just before the deer firearm season. She slipped the collar not long after. Division of Natural Resources officials suspect Quagmire went into hibernation in late November or early December and never woke up.
In the early 1980s, a black bear known as Quagmire was released to roam West Virginia’s woods. DNR biologists trapped her, tranquilized her and put a radio collar on her. To differentiate between her and dozens of other radio-collared bears, they gave her a name. Quagmire lived a typical black bear life, while she bore litters of cubs, her last litter at age 25. Officials estimate she contributed about 20 cubs to the state’s bear population. Year after year biologists tracked her comings and goings by following the steady beep-beep of her collar’s radio signal. After a decade or so, followers noticed she had lived far longer than the average bear, as they celebrated her 20th year, and then her 25th. Quagmire dropped off the DNR’s map last fall, but her collar showed she was alive just before the deer firearm season. She slipped the collar not long after. Division of Natural Resources officials suspect Quagmire went into hibernation in late November or early December and never woke up.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 11:49 AM 
