Biologists to begin capture of grizzly bears for research in Yellowstone National Park
All areas where work is being conducted will have major access points marked with bright-colored warning signs, the park said.
FILE: Group gets way too close to wild bear inside Yellowstone National Park
A group of tourists got dangerously close to a bear in Yellowstone National Park, taking photos as the bear snacked on a patch of grass just a few feet away, a video from late May shows.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. – Biologists are set to capture grizzly bears for research in Yellowstone National Park starting on Monday and are warning visitors of the process.
The plan to capture the bears is part of an effort by the U.S. Geological Survey and Yellowstone to document the recovery of grizzlies in the Yellowstone ecosystem under the Endangered Species Act, the National Park Service said.
"Monitoring of the grizzly bear population is vital to ongoing research and management of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem," the park said.
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FILE: A large grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park along the East Entrance Road.As the grizzly population recovers the bears are expanding back into their old habitat outside the park. Yellowstone Grizzlies may be delisted from the endangered species list in 2005. (Photo by William Campbell/Corbis via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The captures will take place starting Monday, Sept. 1 and last through Oct. 15.
Biologists use natural food sources such as recent road-killed elk and deer to bait the bears, then use culvert traps or foot snares to capture them.
Once captured, the bears are handled in accordance with strict safety and animal care protocols developed by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) and approved by the USGS, the park said.
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Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team bear capture: awake after sedation (NPS / Jacob W. Frank)
The main objective of the scientific research and the IGBST is to monitor the status and trend of the grizzly bear population in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and determine patterns of habitat use by bears, the group's website stated. They'll also research the relationship of land management activities to the welfare of the bear population.
All areas where work is being conducted will have major access points marked with bright-colored warning signs, the park said.
The NPS stressed the importance of park visitors heeding the warning signs and staying out of areas where warning signs have been posted.