The Bear Den

Episode 31 – A Bear Is Not Just A Bear: A Chat with Animal Behaviour Expert, Wildlife Consultant & President of the Bear Care Group, Jay Pratte (Part 2) This is the second part of Philip’s chat with Jay Pratte, so if you haven’t heard the first part, what are you doing here? I strongly... Read more

Episode 30 – Bears Just Do Things For Bear Reasons: A Chat with Animal Behaviour Expert, Wildlife Consultant & President of the Bear Care Group, Jay Pratte (Part 1) Today’s guest, in the first of a two-part chat is Jay Pratte – and as you’ll hear he has worked extensively not just with bears but... Read more

Episode 29 – Book club – Else Poulsen: Barle’s Story He’s done it again – Philip’s read another book! In this episode we discuss the “Suarez Seven” and hear about Barle’s Story – a polar bear rescued from a life of misery as a circus act, and her journey to become a happy and... Read more

Episode 28 – Keep The Adventure Going: A Chat with Grant Breidenbach from Bear Vault In this episode of The Bear Den, Philip sits down with Grant to discuss bear safety in the backcountry, the conservation mission behind Bear Vault bear canisters, and how proper bear-resistant food storage plays a critical role in reducing... Read more

Episode 27 – Keep Your Eyes on the Skies: A chat with Photographer Gordy Lindgren all about the Northern Lights Philip chats to Gordy Lindgren, volunteer at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary and Northern Lights photography expert. Any chance Gordy gets he is out capturing the Northern Lights! In this conversation, he shares his... Read more

Episode 26 – Healing Through Nature: A chat with OFI Australia President Kobe Steele Philip sits down with Orangutan Foundation International Australia (OFIA) President, Kobe Steele. Kobe has led a fascinating life, being the first woman in Australia to host her own national music TV show with plenty of stories to tell, to leading... Read more

Episode 25 – Relentless Snares: A chat with Sumatran Sun Bear Team (SSBT) Founder & zookeeper Lesley Small Back in May 2025, Philip joined Sumatran Sun Bear Team (SSBT) Founder Lesley Small in Northern Sumatra, Indonesia to visit the SSBT rescue facility. One night, they sat down to talk about Lesley’s journey from zookeeping... Read more

Episode 24 – How To Communicate with Your Bear: A chat with zookeeper & Animal Trainer Adrienne Philip catches up with zookeeper and animal trainer, Adrienne to talk about how beneficial training can be in the rehabilitation of rescued bears, and together they reflect on their experiences working with bears in Borneo. The conversation... Read more

Episode 23 – Life Is One: A chat with Filmmaker and Sun Bear Outreach Founder Patrick Rouxel Today Philip chats to Patrick Rouxel. Patrick shares his journey from the film industry to becoming a wildlife documentary filmmaker and conservationist. His documentary “Green” is a multi-award-winning film and is free to watch on YouTube. With... Read more

Episode 22 – Magic Moments: A chat with Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) Founder Femke Den Haas (Part 2) In the second part of their chat Philip and Femke, founder of Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN), discuss the ongoing issue of dancing monkeys in Indonesia, the establishment of a wildlife sanctuary in Sumatra, collaborating... Read more

Episode 21 – Push for Change: A Chat with Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) Founder Femke Den Haas (Part 1) In the first of two episodes, Philip talks to Femke Den Haas, founder of Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN). Femke has been described as one of Indonesia’s most effective activists. Femke shares how she... Read more

Episode 20 – Sun Bear Rehabilitation Philip shares his first-hand experiences in Indonesia raising and rehabilitating orphaned sun bear cubs such as Bubu, Shannon and Yogi (he insists that he didn’t name them!). Philip talks about the joys of watching the sun bear cubs learn to be bears but also discusses the challenges and... Read more

Episode 19 – Meet the Interns You’ve heard enough from Philip about the sanctuary – it’s time to hear what the interns think. In this episode, interns from the 2025 season share their impressions and experiences at the sanctuary. From memorable moments with the bears to their favourite fun facts, they give a fresh... Read more

Episode 18 – The First Resort: A chat with Minnesota North Woods local, Cabin O’Pines resort owner, Ross Coyer Philip chats to Ross Coyer, fifth generation owner of the family run Cabin O’Pines resort. Located just a few miles down the road from the sanctuary, Philip and Ross discuss his memories growing up near... Read more

Episode 17 – BearWise: A chat with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Bear Project Leader Andy Tri Philip is joined by Andy Tri, Bear Project Leader for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), for an in-depth conversation on bear conservation and management. Together, they explore Andy’s fascinating career journey and field experiences, diving... Read more

Episode 16 – 2025 Season Overview ft. ABA President Steph Horner Hello! It’s been a minute since our last episode, so to kick things off Philip does some catching up ABA President on how 2025 went at the sanctuary. There is much to discuss, from celebrating the miracle that is flushing toilets to... Read more

The Bear Den 2 Update + Wojtek & Winnipeg Join Philip as he gives a teaser of what’s to come in the next season of The Bear Den, and we hear the stories of two renowned and inspirational bears, Wojtek & Winnipeg! The Bear Den Artwork is by Asha Kaur Contact: [email protected] Find... Read more

Episode 15 – Founder Tales: Pieces of the Sanctuary ft. Klari Lea (Part 4) In the second part of Philip’s chat with Klari we learn more about the bears, the people and when people work together we can make a difference (and her rock collection!). The Founder Tales series documents the history of the... Read more

Episode 14 – Founder Tales: Seeds of Hope ft. Klari Lea (Part 3) Co-Founder Klari Lea joins Philip to talk about her passion for animal advocacy since childhood, meeting her husband, fellow co-founder, Bill Lea, and their arrival at the sanctuary. Klari talks about the early days of the wildlife sanctuary, and how the core... Read more

Episode 13 – Never Cry Wolf: A Chat with Voyageurs Wolf Project Team Lead Tom Gable Philip chats to Tom Gable, Project Team Lead for the Voyageurs Wolf Project. With over a decades worth of experience working in Voyageurs National Park, Tom has a wealth of knowledge on wolf research and conservation. They talk about... Read more

Episode 12 – Snapshot: Interview w/ Naturalist, Wildlife Photographer & Author Stan Tekiela Philip is joined by Stan Tekiela, who discusses his 40+ year career working in the wildlife field. For over 20 years, Stan has visited the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary and led countless photo workshops in that time. Together Philip and Stan cover... Read more

Episode 11 – Founder Tales: Taking over from Vince (Part 2) ABA Co-Founder Karen Hauserman continues her story detailing Vince’s declining health and her first meeting with Bill and Klari Lea, and how the three of them went on to form the ABA. Karen also reflects on bears she met over the years, her... Read more

Episode 10 – Founder Tales: Meeting Vince (Part 1) Philip is joined by ABA Co-Founder Karen Hauserman in the first of a two-parter! They chat about how the property was in the “before times”, before the sanctuary was founded. Karen details how she came to the Northwoods and her first meeting with Vince in... Read more

Episode 9 – Out on a Limb In 2016, Philip pulled a book off the shelf entitled “Out on a Limb” by Benjamin Kilham. Benjamin Kilham has rehabilitated hundreds of black bears cubs in New Hampshire. Walking with them in the forest has helped him detail bear communications, vocalisations, body language and other behaviours,... Read more

Episode 8 – Myths & Misconceptions There are many myths and misconceptions about the North American black bear. Join Philip as he reviews the myths and counter these with the facts. This episode dives into folklore, misunderstood behavior, and scientific truths, all in an effort to separate fact from fiction including topics on... Read more

Episode 7 – ABA President Interview w/Steph Horner During a visit to the sanctuary in summer 2024 Philip sat down for a chat with ABA President, Steph Horner. We discussed how she gained her love of animals, the challenges of running a non-profit, bears she has connected with over the years and some of... Read more

Episode 6 – Bear Necessities Ever wondered what its like to volunteer at the sanctuary? Join Philip as he takes us through what has changed at the sanctuary over the last ten years and why volunteering at the sanctuary is an experience unlike many others. Listeners will enjoy insights on volunteering and learn... Read more

Episode 5 – Bear Safety What are you supposed to do when you’re hiking out in bear country? Philip draws upon his own experiences hiking in Canada, before we welcome wildlife biologist, Amber Kornak, into the Bear Den. Having volunteered at the sanctuary many years ago, Amber has gone on to work in the... Read more

Episode 4 – Radio Collared bears There have been several bears with radio collars that have passed through the sanctuary over the years. In 2016 the ABA, in partnership with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) began its own radio collar programme and 5 bears in total were radio collared over a multi-year period,... Read more

Episode 3 – Humans and Bears Before Vince Shute passed away, the American Bear Association was formed in 1995. Its three founders were Karen Hauserman, Bill Lea and Klari Lea. It wasn’t an easy start for them and they had to establish rules at the sanctuary and wrestle with the question of feeding bears.... Read more

Episode 2 – The Bear Man Who was Vince Shute, the man who started it all? We journey back over 100 years to learn about his humble beginnings, from having to leave school at a young age to support his family, and giving up his dreams of becoming a prize fighter, to owning a... Read more

Episode 1 – Bear With Me I’m Philip Stubley and join me as I introduce myself and the world of the American Bear Association. Over the course of the series, we’ll discuss the origins of the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary, why we do what we do and learn all about North American black bears.... Read more