The two hour TV show about bear management in Mammoth Lakes is set to air on Animal Planet Thursday night.

While the process to get bears to move along involves a lot of shouting and noise, this show is entitled the Bear Whisperer, and features Mammoth Lakes Wildlife Specialist Steve Searles working with the animals over the summer of 2008.

With this show, the Town of Mammoth will once again be in the national spotlight. The wildlife and Searles are the stars of the show, but the Town of Mammoth Lakes, the homes, businesses and dumpsters will likely play a role in the story as well.

While the political scene surrounding the wildlife management strategy in Mammoth Lakes was a mess at the time the film crews shot the footage for the Bear Whisperer, it appears that the production company, LMNO, has focused on the more traditional story of Searles and his work with the local wildlife.

A press statement from LMNO says the show proves that we can co-exist with most wildlife if we take the time to understand how and why they behave the way they do and respect that.

The Bear Whisperer may also focus on the fact that Searles and the police department have not killed a single bear for public safety in the past 12 years and no permits have been issued in Mammoth Lakes since 2000. The film crew was in Mammoth in 2008. The summer of 2009 was a different story as depredation permits were pulled by residents for the bear locally known as Blondie, along with a sow and two cubs in the Lakes Basin. The sow and two cubs were put down, and Blondie hasnt been spotted since summer.

Mammoth residents all have their own view of the bears and bear management, tempered and formed from years of experience. Its likely the local view may differ a bit from the view presented in this two hour special.The Bear Whisperer on Animal Planet, Thursday night at 9:00 pm.