The Mann Family


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The Mann Family

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THE MANN FAMILY

THE MANN WILDLIFE LEARNING MUSEUM

The Mann Wildlife and Learning Museum was originally opened in Opelika, Alabama under the name of Mann Museum and Outdoors. It was the culmination of a life long dream of George P. Mann, a recognized authority on the outdoors and animals of North America. George, together with his wife and their children, committed their knowledge, time, and finances to bring to Alabama one of the finest museums of natural history in the country, dedicated to wildlife conservation through education. Relocated to Montgomery in January 2003, The Mann Wildlife Learning Museum brings together a lifetime committed to the study of wildlife and the collection of one of the most complete presentations of North American and Alabamian wildlife: animals, birds, fish, and reptiles. From his earliest days hunting, trapping and fishing, George was consumed with the desire to learn and appreciate the unique living habits of these animals to the extent that he could fully understand their behavior. Today, George continues to spend about six months every year in the wilderness of Alaska where he is a certified professional hunting guide. When he is at home in Opelika he continues with his family’s research on deer, turkey, and other animals native to Alabama. Mr. Mann is a member of the Conservation Group of the Boone and Crockett Club, a member of the Pope and Young Club, and a charter member of the P & Y Conservation Committee. He has been nominated for induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. He has twice been named as the Governor’s Wildlife Conservationist of the Year in the State of Alabama. Now, with the relocation of the extensive collection, the Mann family has continued to dedicate themselves to the conservation of wildlife and the education of our citizens.

THE BEAR FAMILY

Wildlife conservation through education
Of all the wonderful animals on earth, the bear family is my personal favorite. They will eat anything (meaning they are omnivorous). They also like to be alone and left alone (solitary) and they do not like humans. They fatten up for the winter and survive by wandering the wilderness to avoid the stress associated with man and his impact on himself and his environment. Yes, they even snore when sleeping. Bears hunt for food and they also like to fish for food. My smart wife is more right than wrong when she says I'm part bear! The main difference is that all bears are cannibalistic and will chase and attempt to kill any smaller bear. Some folks think that man is the biggest predator on bears. That probably is not so. The biggest predators of bears are other bears. A large male (boar) will mate with a sow (female) in May or June one year, cross the path of the sow and cubs the next summer after they leave the hibernation cave (the place of their birth), and attempt to eat them all!! We are not sure why this occurs, but it is a part of the behavior of bears. Modern wildlife research, such as using satellite telemetry collars, is teaching us more and more about all wildlife, especially bears. It has been apparent that in areas that allow recreational hunting and subsistence hunting of bears, the populations have increased. Where recreational hunting is not allowed, populations are stagnant or even dropping. This suggests that sportsmen have hunted the largest, oldest males, reducing the predation of the sow or the reproduction unit of the population, as well as the cubs or future reproduction units. A sow in some cases may be able to fend off a large male but in an area where there are many male bears, she will have little chance to raise a family to maturity. I have witnessed this predation (one animal preying on another for food) in the wild. I've seen Coastal Brown Bears, Black Bears, and Interior Grizzly Bears kill or attempt to kill both the cubs and the sow. I have talked to many Inuit’s (Eskimos) that have seen a polar bear catch and eat a sow and her cubs. Polar bears are marine mammals and only the females leave the pack ice to hibernate and have their young. The old boars never leave the pack ice. One fallacy that people have about bears is their diet. Only the polar bear eats a lot of meat. The Coastal Brown Bear, Black Bear, and Interior Grizzly Bear eat as much as 75% vegetation while the Polar Bear eats 98% meat (mostly seal).

George P. Mann
September, 2000