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IV. PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Background
The Wind River Bear Institute led by bear biologist Carrie Hunt and her team of Karelian Bear Dogs are working from Alaska to Montana to Utah, to develop the Partners in Life Program. WRBI is an organization founded by Hunt to promote coexistence between bears and people. Hunt is a bear conflict specialist with more than 20 years experience in hands-on management of bears and working with the public (see Support Materials). Hunt's innovative work in the field of human-bear conflict has led her to be recognized as a leader in the field. Hunt developed the red pepper spray system widely in use today to turn approaching bears. She also conducted the first tests of rubber bullets and the concept of teaching of free-ranging problem grizzly bears. Problem bears that she worked with over 14 years ago are still alive today. These bears normally would have been destroyed within one or two years. Hunt's current effort utilizes her past successes and builds on them to create a new, exciting approach that will revolutionize management of problem bears worldwide.
Hunt has developed a noninvasive method she calls "bear shepherding" to reduce human-bear conflict. The Program implements bear shepherding through the "partnering" of 4 components- the bears, the public, bear management agencies and WRBI's experienced bear conflict biologists and KBD teams. Problem bears are taught to behave properly and the public is educated to behave in a manner that prevents bear problems and their reoccurrence. The Program works "on-site" with private landowners to educate and correct situations that have led to conflicts with bears. Agency personnel are trained to employ effective "teaching" techniques for both bears and people and the WRBI teams work to develop the bear shepherding methodology and educate their "partners".
The Program "shepherds" bears in a unique approach that utilizes highly trained KBDs in combination with other tools such as red pepper spray, rubber bullets and on-site trap releases (developed by the program) to modify bear behavior so that problem bears do not need to be relocated or destroyed. This is the only KBD team in the world that is trained to teach bears to change their undesirable behaviors. These tools are presented to bears in a POSITIVE learning environment where the bears learn to prefer the correct behaviors and remain flexible and unharassed!! Few programs have attempted to teach bears and this is the only one that employs a positive learning approach that builds on the way that bears operate and learn in the wild.
In addition, WRBI breeds, selects, and trains KBDs to serve as partners for agency personnel that manage bears and for people that live, work, or play in bear country. The dogs find bear sign or bears; trail problem bears at conflict sites; warn bears to stay away; turn approaching bears; and guard ranches, camps, homes and campgrounds. The Program is currently developing bear shepherding, KBD training and certification courses for agency personnel and the public.
Results
Hunt has successfully worked with her KBDs for the past 10 years, using the dogs daily in her bear research and conflict work. During 1996 through 1999 Hunt and her KBDs had outstanding success with the Partners In Life Program in Yosemite National Park, Glacier National Park, several Canadian Parks, and on private and public land in NW Montana and SW Alberta as well. Working with bear managers, Hunt has applied and developed her bear shepherding techniques in 200-300 incidences each year. Many of the bears worked with are alive at this time. None of the female grizzly bears that have been worked have had to be removed or destroyed! No dogs or bears were injured. An important result of the Program's educational work has been the public's increased efforts to prevent bear conflicts. The public has responded by cleaning up bear attractants and by giving early and increased reports of bear problems because they understand that reporting will possibly lead to saving the bear, not its destruction! Both bear managers and the public consider the Program a success (see Support Materials). During 1996 and 1997 the Program achieved outstanding success in both Yosemite and Glacier National Parks and Northwest Montana. In 1997 alone, the team worked with 60 different bears, 19 of these were grizzly bears. Most of the bears that were educated, stayed out of trouble afterwards until they denned. In Yosemite, after only 5 weeks of work, older age black bears that had used the campground all of their lives ceased coming in for more than 3 weeks after the team left!
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