Protecting Tranquilized Bear

From the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS):

Protecting Tranquilized Bear — The kerchief over the bear's eyes protects it from dust and debris and reduces visual stimulation. The small tubing in its nose (nasal cannula) delivers oxygen to the animal while tranquilized. The scientists working with this bear are part of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) — an interdisciplinary group of scientists and biologists responsible for long-term monitoring and research efforts on grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE).

The team was formed by the DOI in 1973 as a direct result of controversy surrounding the closure of open pit garbage dumps within Yellowstone National Park during 1968-72. For decades, large numbers of grizzly bears fed at these dumps and after the closure of this food source, the rate of grizzly bear deaths increased. Concerns for the population’s future led to grizzlies being listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1975.

IGBST members are representatives from the USGS, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribal Fish and Game Department, and the States of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. This group approach ensures consistency in data collection and allows for combining limited resources to address information needs throughout the GYE. Photo credit: Suzanna Soileau, USGS.

Learn more at: on.doi.gov/IGBST

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