Attacks from grizzly bears can be prevented by drones after a specialist put the technology to the test.

January 27, 2025– Grizzly bear attacks can be prevented by drones.

Human and bear contact is an issue in areas where both creatures overlap but the remote-controlled devices could fend off the beats in a humane manner.

As bears are drawn to food that can easily be accessed via rubbish, livestock and crops – it keeps them coming back to public areas, which can lead to attacks on people or properties.

Drones Outperform Traditional Methods in Bear Deterrence

Wesley Sarmento, a grizzly bear management specialist in the US state of Montana, spent six years testing different methods – including dogs, projectiles and chasing in cars – on how to fend off bears, but drones appeared to be the “magic tool”.

He wrote in a paper for the journal Frontiers in Conservation Science: “Drones outperformed other hazing techniques where the odds of a pursuit of a bear being possible increased 127 per cent relative to vehicular chasing, due to accessibility issues…

“Even at night, I 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 I couldn’t imagine doing the job without it.”

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Published by HOLR Magazine

Sources: Frontiers in Conservation Science

Image Credit: BANG SHOWBIZ