Drones are Being Used to Chase Grizzly Bears Away From Humans
Aerial footage has revealed how remote-controlled drones are being used to scare bears away from human-populated areas.
For the last six years, Wesley Sarmento, a former grizzly bear management specialist with Montana’s Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Department (MFWP), has been testing different non-lethal hazing methods for keeping bears away from humans.
In a guest editorial piece for Frontiers, Sarmento — who is now a PhD researcher at the University of Montana — has demonstrated that drones are an effective tool to mitigate conflicts between grizzly bears and human populations.
Traditional hazing methods, such as using vehicles, non-lethal projectiles, and trained dogs, have limitations in effectiveness and safety.
However, Sarmento’s findings suggest that these aerial devices offer a safer and more efficient way to steer grizzly bears away from populated areas without endangering either humans or the animals themselves.
According to research data, cited in a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Conservation Science, drones are more effective, with a 91% success rate in scaring off bears, compared to 57% for trained dogs.
In Montana’s northern plains, drones have been utilized to scare grizzly bears away from ranches, grain storage facilities, and other potential conflict zones. The noise from the drone’s propellers is often enough to drive the bears away.
But in cases where additional deterrence is needed, drones can also be equipped with speakers that project human voices or loud noises, such as heavy metal tunes, to enhance the hazing effect.
Drones offer the advantage of maneuverability, allowing operators to guide bears away from human areas across various terrains and obstacles without the need for physical presence, thereby reducing risks to both humans and bears.
However, there is concern that bears may become habituated to drones over time, diminishing their effectiveness as a deterrent. To mitigate this, it is essential that wildlife managers vary their hazing techniques and combine drone use with other preventive measures, such as removing attractants like spilled grain and carcasses, to ensure long-term success in managing bear behavior.
Beyond hazing, drones can also assist wildlife managers in tracking bear movements and filming the animals.
Once roaming vast stretches of western North America, grizzly bears have seen their territory shrink dramatically due to habitat destruction, hunting, and expanding human presence. In regions where human settlements encroach on bear habitats, conflicts between people and grizzlies have become a pressing concern.
As opportunistic feeders, grizzlies are naturally drawn to easily accessible food sources such as garbage, livestock, pet food, bird feeders, crops, and improperly stored camping gear.
When bears learn to associate human areas with food, they are often classified as “problem bears” and may return repeatedly. This behavior increases the risk of property damage, livestock predation, and, in some cases, dangerous encounters with humans.
Image credits: Header photo by Wesley Sarmento/Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.
