A few years ago a man and his son discovered a black bear prowling outside their home in Two Rivers, Alaska. In that neighborhood, it's common to hear stories of bears smashing cabin windows, drawn by the smell of a candy-bar wrapper. In defense against such invaders, many Alaskans dispose of their garbage assiduously and keep jumbo cans of pepper spray next to their car keys. In this case, the man called 911, and shortly thereafter an Alaska State Trooper pulled into the driveway. The trooper asked a few questions, but on the whole, seemed unreasonably calm about the whole situation. With the citizens at a safe distance, the trooper called out sharply a few times, and the bear came bounding from the bushes, lunged at the trooper, and seized his leg in its paws. Rather than sinking in its teeth, however, the bear simply clung to the leg, trembling a bit. Moments later, it followed the trooper into the patrol car.
The trooper's name is Ron Richards, and the bear's name is Delilah. Ron and Delilah live a block from my parents home on Chena Hot Springs Road. Ron adopted his first bear, a male, in 1986 when the bear was orphaned in Petersburg. Ron constructed a three-acre pen resembling the bear's natural habitat on his extensive property. He had some experience caring for animals of varying degrees of domestication, and the male bear bonded with Ron as they spent time together. Casting about for a name for the bear, Ron held a contest among children at the local elementary school and church, and Samson was the result. Delilah came later, in 1989, an orphaned cub from Kaltag. Delilah imprinted with Ron, and was docile enough that for a time she lived safely in Ron's house with his children. Later, Ron attempted to transfer her to the pen with Samson, where she waxed a bit territorial until Samson eventually nipped her in the hindquarters. After that, the two bears cohabited in relative peace.
I met Ron, Samson, and Delilah recently during a ten day visit to my hometown. The visit was private, informal, and non-commercial; Ron loves to tell stories about his bears to friends and children. Two neighborhood kids watched along with my family as Ron filled large silver mixing bowls with dog kibble, fish scraps, grapes, and apples, then placed them on two concrete platforms. The bears moved closer upon Ron's approach and seemed affectionate, though I noticed that Ron wore thick suede gloves throughout the feeding process.
Samson and Delilah have eating rituals. They mount their concrete blocks, which designate separate dining areas an are easy to clean. Samson immediately finds and devours the fish, while Delilah picks out the grapes. The bears then trade places, dismounting their platforms. It's understood that Delilah will eat a portion of Samson's grapes, and in return, Samson eats some fish from Delilah's dish. After this exchange, the bears return to their own places and finish the meal in dignified silence. As they crouched over their bowls, the word "porridge" kept surfacing in my mind. Samson is getting up there in bear years, so he sits rather still after completing his meal. Delilah is more interested in people, and sniffs us through the metal fence, sometimes emitting noises that demonstrate that her meal was satisfactory. I was comforted to hear that she does not escape often.
I wasn't equipped to create a full-color illustration during my visit home, but I did manage to jot down some quick pencil sketches of Samson and Delilah. I'm fascinated by the size of their foreheads--the sheer real estate between their ears and their eyes. I've included some of the sketches below, as well as original photos of Ron and the bears.
The trooper's name is Ron Richards, and the bear's name is Delilah. Ron and Delilah live a block from my parents home on Chena Hot Springs Road. Ron adopted his first bear, a male, in 1986 when the bear was orphaned in Petersburg. Ron constructed a three-acre pen resembling the bear's natural habitat on his extensive property. He had some experience caring for animals of varying degrees of domestication, and the male bear bonded with Ron as they spent time together. Casting about for a name for the bear, Ron held a contest among children at the local elementary school and church, and Samson was the result. Delilah came later, in 1989, an orphaned cub from Kaltag. Delilah imprinted with Ron, and was docile enough that for a time she lived safely in Ron's house with his children. Later, Ron attempted to transfer her to the pen with Samson, where she waxed a bit territorial until Samson eventually nipped her in the hindquarters. After that, the two bears cohabited in relative peace.
I met Ron, Samson, and Delilah recently during a ten day visit to my hometown. The visit was private, informal, and non-commercial; Ron loves to tell stories about his bears to friends and children. Two neighborhood kids watched along with my family as Ron filled large silver mixing bowls with dog kibble, fish scraps, grapes, and apples, then placed them on two concrete platforms. The bears moved closer upon Ron's approach and seemed affectionate, though I noticed that Ron wore thick suede gloves throughout the feeding process.
Samson and Delilah have eating rituals. They mount their concrete blocks, which designate separate dining areas an are easy to clean. Samson immediately finds and devours the fish, while Delilah picks out the grapes. The bears then trade places, dismounting their platforms. It's understood that Delilah will eat a portion of Samson's grapes, and in return, Samson eats some fish from Delilah's dish. After this exchange, the bears return to their own places and finish the meal in dignified silence. As they crouched over their bowls, the word "porridge" kept surfacing in my mind. Samson is getting up there in bear years, so he sits rather still after completing his meal. Delilah is more interested in people, and sniffs us through the metal fence, sometimes emitting noises that demonstrate that her meal was satisfactory. I was comforted to hear that she does not escape often.
I wasn't equipped to create a full-color illustration during my visit home, but I did manage to jot down some quick pencil sketches of Samson and Delilah. I'm fascinated by the size of their foreheads--the sheer real estate between their ears and their eyes. I've included some of the sketches below, as well as original photos of Ron and the bears.
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