Lynn Leroy Rogers (born 1939) is an American biologist who studies wild
black bears and is known as the ''Jane Goodall of bears''.
He is the founder of the
North American Bear Center. He teaches a yearly black bear field study course for the Wildlife Research Institute.
Rogers has become famous for his working methods: he forms habituated relationships with wild black bears, spending 24-hour periods walking and resting with them, initially alerting them to his presence with a call of 'It's me bear'. He has been the subject of several documentaries.
For 15 years, Rogers' research has centered on the 200 or so bears that live between
Ely and
Tower, Minnesota
Tower is a city located in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 430. State Highways 1 ( MN 1), 169 ( MN 169), and 135 ( MN 135) are three of the main routes in Tower. Tower is l ...
at
Eagle's Nest Township. He has placed video cameras in bears' dens and tracked bears with radio collars.
Rogers' studies raise safety concerns in the area where he conducts his research. He has been accused of creating dangerous situations by habituating the bears to human contact.
In 2013, the
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, or Minnesota DNR, is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recr ...
decided not to renew his research permit. Rogers sued the DNR, but was unsuccessful, with the judge ruling that Rogers' methods contributed to a likely public safety risk.
Rogers' bear photographs appear in Jeff Fair's book ''Great American Bear''.
References
External links
Lynn Rogersat the Wildlife Research Institute
North American Bear Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Lynn
1939 births
American mammalogists
Living people
People from Ely, Minnesota