The Official U.S. Maple Syrup Almanac 2014 2nd Edition | Page 82

BEARS IN THE

SUGARBUSH
By BARBARA MILLS LASSONDE
Hugging the shore of the Connecticut
River in western New Hampshire, is the tiny
town of Lyme, population 1,500. Up away
from the river and hidden in the hilly woods,
stands the home of Ben Kilham, a gunsmith
and maple producer with approximately
1,200 taps.
Ben has gained world-wide notoriety, not
for his work with guns or his maple syrup, but
for his unusual hobby. He raises orphaned
black bear cubs, studies and documents their
behavior, then releases them to the wild.

As a wildlife rehabilitator holding both
state and federal licenses, Ben’s first pair of
cubs were delivered to his door by a Vermont
Fish & Wildlife biologist in 1993. Abandoned by their mother in the den several days
before, they were about three months old,
malnourished and weighed just over four
pounds each. Ben put them in a cozy basement room where they would spend the rest
of the winter.
With a soft bed, wooden support posts
to climb and dog toys, old deer legs and
sticks to play with, he hoped they would be
happy. The tall, rugged man sat in a rocking

A 100-pound bear approaches Ben
Kilham, who greets him with a soft,
gentle