KEVIN McCORRY, HOST: I’m Kevin McCorry and this is ‘Jukebox Journey.’
[MUSIC MONTAGE: “Man Gave Names to All the Animals” by Bob Dylan and “The Bare Necessities” as sung Phil Harris]
KM: This week: A cub is born.
It only happens this time of year. A January ritual you can set your watch to. In makeshift dens across the forest, amid the harsh conditions, a triumph of nature is occurring: Mama bears giving birth to a new generation of cubs.
[MUSIC: Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral) in F Minor, Part I,” as recorded by the Philadelphia Orchestra]
KM: Beethoven’s Pastoral symphony, part I as recorded by the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1979.
Compared to many other wild species, bears are much less prolific in spawning offspring, which brings high stakes to every step of their reproductive cycle — kicking off with a wet, hot woodsy summer.
[MUSIC: “Let’s Do it Again” by The Staples Singers]
KM: Mating season peaks in June and July when couples become magnetic, with repeated attempts over several days.
Bears also take multiple partners per season — as females can get pregnant and give birth to cubs from multiple fathers at once, which increases the odds of conception and survival.
[MUSIC: “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado feat. Timbaland]
KM: From The Staples Singers in 1975 to Nelly Furtado and Timbaland in 2006.
What happens next is the dance between the genius of evolution and nature’s constant fight against scarcity.
By fall, the female is on her own. She scavenges for food to build up enough body fat to support herself and potential cubs through the long winter. For months she carries her fertilized eggs in a state of limbo, but they’ll only implant and start to grow if she’s strong and ready by November.
[MUSIC: “Protector” by Beyoncé]
KM: Beyoncé from 2024.
The pregnant Mama bear then searches for a den to make a home and begins a long state of rest. And there, in January, she brings the cubs into the world. They’re blind at birth and weigh less than a pound. The shockingly tiny newborns find their way by instinct to mama’s milk — the first precious, essential nutrients of life.
[MUSIC: “Stand By Me” as covered by Tracy Chapman live in 2015]
KM: Tracy Chapman, doing the cover live in 2015.
The first weeks and months are crucial. Mama gives and gives of herself through the frigid temperatures to nourish the babies. By spring she’s lost 30% of her own mass as the cubs grow to ten times their birth weight.
[MUSIC: “The Mother” by Brandi Carlisle]
KM: From 2018, Brandi Carlisle.
Spring offers relief and opportunity, but brings its own dangers. Predators and rivals to beware of. Food to compete for.
There’s that old adage about not coming between a mother and her cubs. She’s raising them up from nothing and the very survival of the species rests on her instincts to keep them safe through this fragile period.
[MUSIC: “Shelter From the Storm” as sung by Cassandra Wilson]
KM: Cassandra Wilson’s Dylan cover from 2002.
At her side, the cubs learn to fend for themselves. How to hunt and forage. How to climb and hide. When to move. When to be patient. Mama guides them through summer, fall and another winter until the yearlings have the tools to face life alone.
Sometimes the cubs don’t think they are ready. But mama knows best. She’s taught them well, and nature calls her to part with her babies so she can restart the cycle all over again.
To our eyes, it may seem a cruel plot twist, but then again, it’s just another example of a mother doing whatever it takes for the survival of her kind.
[MUSIC: Beethoven Symphony No 6 Pastoral in F Minor, part V as recorded by the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2000.]
KM: The final movement from Beethoven’s pastoral symphony.
[MUSIC SWELL]
KM: I’m Kevin McCorry and this has been a Jukebox Journey on WHYY.
collapse
