The Hidden World of Bears November 21, 2009

'The Hidden World of Bears,' on display at the Ford Education Center Exhibit Gallery, reveals fascinating details of black bear everyday existence and opens a door into the intimate lives of these surprisingly timid animals. Renowned photographer and wildlife researcher Lynn Rogers, Ph.D., has studied bears in the wild for more than 35 years and has developed mutually trusting relationships with individual wild bears, including mothers with cubs. The bears have learned to ignore him as he follows them through the forest, recording their movements and collecting data on their preferred foods and interactions with other bears. 'The Hidden World of Bears' features 60 of Rogers' framed photographs of black bears, documenting their life as cubs born in a winter den, continuing through the spring and summer months as they eat, play and interact with other bears - and at times people - and culminating in the construction of a new den in the fall. Rogers has provided a wealth of background information on black bears for popular books and television documentaries. His research has been featured on the Discovery Channel, NBC Nightly News and National Geographic Explorer,' as well as in books, scientific journals and other magazines. A recent Animal Planet documentary, 'The Man Who Walks with Bears,' traces his life's work with black bears.