‘The Social Black Bear’ with Ben Kilham at Sugarbush April 15

April 8, 2023  |  By Waterbury Roundabout 

New Hampshire wildlife biologist and bear expert Ben Kilham, Ph.D., visits the Mad River Valley for a presentation on black bears on April 15 at Sugarbush. Photo courtesy the Kilham Bear Center

The Mad River Valley Bear Initiative hosts a special presentation on Saturday, April 15, at Sugarbush with New Hampshire wildlife biologist and bear expert Ben Kilham. 

A world-renowned researcher of black bear biology and social habits, Kilham’s talk titled “The Social Black Bear: What Bears Have Taught Me About Being Human” will include photos and videos.  

Ben Kilham, Ph.D., is a wildlife biologist 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 family have accepted orphaned bear cubs into their home and enabled them to successfully return to the wild. 

Kilham says that black bears, thought to be solitary, exhibit social behavior that possibly parallels early human behavior. They show evidence of reciprocal altruism, matrilinear hierarchy, and a mix of intentional and emotional communication, Kilham says. Bears can live for as many as 40 years, which allows them long-term benefits from forming relationships.

Kilham 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 the author of the books “Among the Bears: Raising Orphaned Cubs in the Wild” and “Out on a Limb: Origins of Intuition and Intelligence.”

Learn more about Kilham’s work online at kilhambearcenter.org

The presentation will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. on April 15 at Sugarbush Lincoln Peak in the Schoolhouse at 84 Forest Drive in Warren. Those interested in attending are asked to sign up beforehand using this online link.