This letter is in response to Sam Cook's June 4 column about Lily and Hope, the bears he suggested were being used as marketing tools by bear researcher Lynn Rogers and the North American Bear Center ("Stepping into the wild, we walked a murky path").
It is true that contributions to the bear center have gone up considerably since January 2010 when Lily gave birth to Hope and all of us on the Internet could watch and monitor daily growth and the interactions of the two, something no one had seen previously in wild bears. It was a true learning experience.
While I know Lily and Hope are only two of many, many black bears, they really act as ambassadors for their kind. In that way they are special to us all. Many people, including me, have become more respectful and understanding of bears. We all have to live together in this world. This is a good thing.
Just because Cook doesn't understand the loving following of this pair doesn't mean it's not real and touching for all of us bear fans.
Penny Crane
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Jefferson City, Mo.
