Lecture by Ben Kilham
Ben Kilham, Ph.D will be joining us on Thursday, January 12 at 6:30 p.m. to present his lecture, The Social Black Bear, to the community in the Crossroads Academy Fanger Center Commons.
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 three decades. He, his wife Debra, sister Phoebe (retired), and now his nephew, Ethan rescue and rehabilitate orphaned bear cubs enabling them to successfully return to the wild. Ben has been the focus of several news articles and documentaries, including National Geographic’s “Bear Man,” Animal Planet’s “Papa Bear,” and IMAX’s “Pandas.” He is also author of the books Among the Bears: Raising Orphaned Cubs in the Wild and Out on a Limb: What Black Bears Have Taught me about Intelligence and Intuition.
In his lecture, The Social Black Bear, Ben will explain how black bears, thought to be solitary, have a type of social behavior that possibly parallels early human behavior. They show evidence of reciprocal altruism, matri-linear hierarchy, and a mix of intentional and emotional communication. Bears can live as long as forty years, which allows them long-term benefits from forming relationships with fellow cooperators.
We hope that you will join us in learning more about our neighbors in the woods, and share this unique opportunity with friends!
Crossroads Academy is located at 95 Dartmouth College Highway, Lyme, New Hampshire. View a map of our campus for help locating the Fanger Center Commons (marked #4 on the map). Please contact Dan Morrissey with any further questions.
