{"id":651095,"date":"2025-01-27T16:00:36","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T13:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/drones-could-be-the-magic-tools-we-need-to-chase-bears-away-from-people\/"},"modified":"2025-01-27T16:00:36","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T13:00:36","slug":"drones-could-be-the-magic-tools-we-need-to-chase-bears-away-from-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/drones-could-be-the-magic-tools-we-need-to-chase-bears-away-from-people\/","title":{"rendered":"#Drones could be the &#8216;magic tools&#8217; we need to chase bears away from people"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3584b9291b8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3584b9291b8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/drones-could-be-the-magic-tools-we-need-to-chase-bears-away-from-people\/#Training_bears_to_stay_away\" >Training bears to stay away<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/drones-could-be-the-magic-tools-we-need-to-chase-bears-away-from-people\/#From_dogs_to_drones\" >From dogs to drones<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma-1.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"One method of bear hazing included working with Airedales, named Gum and Hucksley. Credit: Sarah Zielke\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma-1.jpg\" alt=\"Drones could be the 'magic tools' we need to chase bears away from people\" title=\"One method of bear hazing included working with Airedales, named Gum and Hucksley. Credit: Sarah Zielke\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                One method of bear hazing included working with Airedales, named Gum and Hucksley. Credit: Sarah Zielke\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Brown bears roam across much of the northern hemisphere from the mountains of Spain to the prairies of the US. These bears are formidable carnivores that can weigh up to 751 kg (1,656 lb) and have claws 15 cm (6 in) long. With long canine teeth and a bite force of 6,800,000 pascals (1,000 psi), these bruins can easily crush bones.<\/p>\n<p>All these powerful features make brown bears an imposing predator that can take down prey as large and dangerous as an adult bison. Yet, while these bears eat meat, much of their diet is plant-based because they are omnivores.<\/p>\n<p>Brown bears have very few dietary restrictions. They are certainly not gluten intolerant because they have been observed lying in big piles of grain, eating wheat by mouthfuls. Nor do they have nut or shellfish allergies. This large dietary breadth, however, causes them to seek out many of the same foods that humans consume. So, just about anywhere you have brown bears and people, you have human-bear conflicts.<\/p>\n<p>In the contiguous US, brown bears, also called grizzly bears, have been a protected species since the 1970s, which has led some populations to increase considerably and expand their range, reclaiming historic habitat.<\/p>\n<p>The ecosystems that contain Yellowstone and Glacier National Park have populations of grizzlies that are rebounding so much that bears are moving out from the mountains back onto the prairie, where people and agriculture now dominate the landscape.<\/p>\n<p>The return of the grizzly to the Great Plains has been hailed as a conservation success story, but has come with the unintended consequence of increased human-bear conflicts.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"mb-4\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/VideoObject\">\n    <meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Drones could be the 'magic tools' we need to chase bears away from people\"\/><br \/>\n    <meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma.mp4\"\/><br \/>\n    <meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"Bear chased across a field with a drone. Credit: Wesley Sarmento\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks\"\/><br \/>\n    <meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2025-01-24T04:16:33-05:00\"\/><br \/>\n        <meta itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video_tmb\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma.mp4.jpg\"\/><br \/>\n    <meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma.mp4\"\/><br \/>\n            <video class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\" id=\"jwVID82053\" controls=\"\" poster=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video_tmb\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma.mp4.jpg\"><source src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/video\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma.mp4\" type=\"video\/mp4\"><\/source><\/video><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up mt-4\" itemprop=\"caption\">Bear chased across a field with a drone. Credit: Wesley Sarmento\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Training_bears_to_stay_away\"><\/span>Training bears to stay away<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Some people are upset with having to live with such a fearsome animal. Grizzlies can kill livestock, people, and cause property damage. Fortunately, people are not on the typical bear menu and attacks are extraordinarily rare.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, their presence makes all these risks possible, and therefore, it is essential for wildlife managers to prevent these conflicts and resolve issues quickly when they do occur. Addressing people&#8217;s concerns over grizzly bears is necessary for the successful long-term conservation of the species.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Airedale 'Gum' after an unfortunate run-in with a porcupine. Credit: Wesley Sarmento\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma.jpg\" alt=\"Drones could be the 'magic tools' we need to chase bears away from people\" title=\"Airedale 'Gum' after an unfortunate run-in with a porcupine. Credit: Wesley Sarmento\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Airedale &#8216;Gum&#8217; after an unfortunate run-in with a porcupine. Credit: Wesley Sarmento\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>With the expansion of grizzlies onto the prairie, locals demanded more responsiveness to address people&#8217;s worries. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the state and federal agencies tasked with managing the protected species, responded by hiring me in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Wesley M. Sarmento was the first bear manager based entirely on the Great Plains. Initially, he held a dozen public meetings to hear what people wanted. Resoundingly, people said they didn&#8217;t want bears near homes, in town, or damaging property, namely livestock. This seemed like a reasonable request, so Sarmento offered to haze bears away.<\/p>\n<p>Hazing is the act of chasing an animal away from an undesirable place or stop it from doing a specific behavior, like attacking livestock. Some people jumped at the idea and offered to help, while others were skeptical. The disbelievers said hazing wouldn&#8217;t work or it would merely move a bear to someone else&#8217;s land.<\/p>\n<p>With limited information available on hazing, Sarmento decided to start collecting data to test if it worked. He wanted to know if hazing was effective at moving bears away from undesirable places. In addition, Sarmento wanted to know if it taught grizzlies to stay away from people long-term, which is called aversive conditioning.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma-2.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"The number of hazing events declined over each calendar year \u2013 evidence that long term aversive conditioning was occurring. Credit: Wesley Sarmento\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma-2.jpg\" alt=\"Drones could be the 'magic tools' we need to chase bears away from people\" title=\"The number of hazing events declined over each calendar year \u2013 evidence that long term aversive conditioning was occurring. Credit: Wesley Sarmento\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                The number of hazing events declined over each calendar year \u2013 evidence that long term aversive conditioning was occurring. Credit: Wesley Sarmento\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ads w-100 my-4 article-main__more bg-light p-3 border\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-3\">\n        Discover the latest in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>, tech, and space with over <strong>100,000 subscribers<\/strong> who rely on Phys.org for daily insights.<br \/>\n        Sign up for our <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\">free newsletter<\/a> and get updates on breakthroughs,<br \/>\n        innovations, and research that matter\u2014<strong>daily or weekly<\/strong>.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"From_dogs_to_drones\"><\/span>From dogs to drones<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Sarmento started the program with the basic tools of any bear manager\u2014a truck and shotgun with non-lethal deterrents, like cracker shells and rubber rounds. One day, he got a call about a bear in some trees near a family&#8217;s house. He drove out to the farm on that rainy day to chase the bear off so the kids and livestock would be safe.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;My truck, however, was limited by the wet ground\u2014I couldn&#8217;t drive up to where the bear was because I would get stuck. So, I went out on foot, shooting the firecracker-like cracker shells from my shotgun. The big, agitated male grizzly didn&#8217;t take kindly to my hazing work and charged out at me. Luckily, I was able to stop the large bear with a well-placed cracker in front of him, which spun him around and caused him to flee. After that risky encounter, I decided to get a widely touted, but scientifically untested tool\u2014bear dogs.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A month later Sarmento had two adult Airedales, known as the king of terriers, to help me haze grizzlies. He picked this type of dog because the local people favored the breed and conservation outcomes are supposed to be more successful when those local perceptions are considered. It didn&#8217;t take long for me to realize that the bear dogs weren&#8217;t all they were hyped up to be.<\/p>\n<p>Much of the time, the two dogs couldn&#8217;t detect a bear that Sarmento could see across a field, or they chased whatever animal they discovered first. Oftentimes they went after feral cats and porcupines. He tried relentlessly to better train the dogs, but the effort had little effect. Realizing the dogs weren&#8217;t a miracle solution, he decided to try a more technological <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach that had also never been tested before\u2014drones.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"article-gallery js-article-gallery\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma-3.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"A bear dog is searching a bear den on the prairie. Credit: Wesley Sarmento\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma-3.jpg\" alt=\"Drones could be the 'magic tools' we need to chase bears away from people\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-low-up text-truncate mt-3\">\n                    A bear dog is searching a bear den on the prairie. Credit: Wesley Sarmento\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks<br \/>\n                <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma-4.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"In the contiguous US, grizzly bears have been a protected species since the 1970s, which has led some populations to increase considerably and expand their range, reclaiming historic habitat. Credit: Wesley Sarmento\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma-4.jpg\" alt=\"Drones could be the 'magic tools' we need to chase bears away from people\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-low-up text-truncate mt-3\">\n                    In the contiguous US, grizzly bears have been a protected species since the 1970s, which has led some populations to increase considerably and expand their range, reclaiming historic habitat. Credit: Wesley Sarmento\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks<br \/>\n                <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Equipped with a highly maneuverable, buzzing drone, Sarmento was scattering bears with accuracy. He could precisely chase bears exactly where he wanted them\u2014all from the safety and comfort of my truck. The unmanned aerial vehicle was exactly the magic tool that he had been needing. Even at night, Sarmento could find bears from afar with the thermal camera, and then fly in closer to move them away from towns, homes, and livestock. The drone was such an asset that he couldn&#8217;t imagine doing the job without it.<\/p>\n<p>Even though all the tools had some success at moving bears away from people, the drone performed notably better than dogs. With the drone, Sarmento was no longer limited by fences, canals, and other obstacles that would&#8217;ve stopped me or limited my range with the other tools.<\/p>\n<p>All the hazing work seemed to pay off. Older bears required less hazing, and the number of hazing events declined over each calendar year\u2014evidence that long term aversive conditioning was occurring. Bears appeared to learn to stay away from people. The aversive conditioning likely prevented some conflicts from occurring, which meant bears would be less likely to get into trouble. It was a win-win.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-main__more p-4\">\n<p><strong>More information:<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDrones outperform dogs for hazing bears: a comparison of carnivore aversive conditioning tools, <i>Frontiers in Conservation Science<\/i> (2025). <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-doi=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.3389\/fcosc.2024.1478450\" target=\"_blank\">DOI: 10.3389\/fcosc.2024.1478450<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDrones could be the &#8216;magic tools&#8217; we need to chase bears away from people (2025, January 27)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 27 January 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-01-drones-magic-tools-people.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-01-drones-magic-tools-people.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One method of bear hazing included working with Airedales, named Gum and Hucksley. Credit: Sarah Zielke\/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Brown bears roam across much of the northern hemisphere from the mountains of Spain to the prairies of the US. These bears are formidable carnivores that can weigh up to 751 kg (1,656 lb) and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":651096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/drones-could-be-the-ma-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-651095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651095"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651095\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/651096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}