Episode 5 – Bear Safety
What are you supposed to do when you’re hiking out in bear country? Philip draws upon his own experiences hiking in Canada, before we welcome wildlife biologist, Amber Kornak, into the Bear Den. Having volunteered at the sanctuary many years ago, Amber has gone on to work in the animal field for the last decade, and she recounts the time that she was attacked by a grizzly bear and how bear spray saved her life.  

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Episode 4 – Radio Collared bears
There have been several bears with radio collars that have passed through the sanctuary over the years. In 2016 the ABA, in partnership with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) began its own radio collar programme and 5 bears in total were radio collared over a multi-year period, contributing data to conservation efforts. We talk about the bears involved including Uno, Ginger, Darla, Hot Shot, Sunny and Persephone and review what data was gathered. Each bear has a unique story and ABA President, Steph Horner, joins us to recount the time she joined... Read more

Episode 3 – Humans and Bears
Before Vince Shute passed away, the American Bear Association was formed in 1995. Its three founders were Karen Hauserman, Bill Lea and Klari Lea. It wasn’t an easy start for them and they had to establish rules at the sanctuary and wrestle with the question of feeding bears. Its not only human characters that we deal with in this episode as we shine a spotlight on some of the well-known bears that have visited the sanctuary over the years, from Halo “the white bear”, Biscuit, Peanut and Schwinn, the three-legged bear that captured... Read more

Episode 2 – The Bear Man
Who was Vince Shute, the man who started it all? We journey back over 100 years to learn about his humble beginnings, from having to leave school at a young age to support his family, and giving up his dreams of becoming a prize fighter, to owning a successful logging company in the North Woods of Minnesota. Bears visited his property and like many Vince used to shoot them, until he realised, “they’re not mean, they’re just hungry,” which began a lifelong commitment to bears that he came to see as family. This... Read more

Episode 1 – Bear With Me
I’m Philip Stubley and join me as I introduce myself and the world of the American Bear Association. Over the course of the series, we’ll discuss the origins of the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary, why we do what we do and learn all about North American black bears. Listeners can expect a deep dive into black bear conservation, human-wildlife dynamics, and practical advice on coexisting responsibly with wildlife. This podcast is for designed for anyone, those have visited the sanctuary and want to know more to people who have never heard of us!... Read more