The Social
Black Bear:
What Bears Have
Taught Me About Being Human
Learn about black bears from Ben Kilham at the Masonic Hall in
Northwood on Tuesday, February 23, at 7:00 p.m. (Snow
date: Thursday, February 25, 7:00 p.m.) Black bears,
thought to be solitary, have a different type of social behavior
that possibly parallels early human behavior. They show evidence
of reciprocal altruism, food sharing, and early group formation
of unrelated individuals. Bears can live for as many as forty
years, which allows them long-term benefits from forming
relationships with fellow cooperators.
Ben Kilham is a wildlife biologist based in Lyme, New Hampshire.
His love of and devotion to black bears has enabled him to study
their habits and interact with them for more than two decades.
He and his wife Debra have accepted orphaned bear cubs into
their home and enabled them to successfully return to the wild.
Ben has been the focus of several news articles and
documentaries, including National Geographic’s A Man Among Bears
and Animal Planet’s Papa Bear. He is also co-author of the book
Among the Bears: Raising Orphaned Cubs in the Wild. This
program is co-sponsored by Chesley Memorial Library and the
Friends of the Northwood Libraries.