Abstract 83 – Drones outperform dogs hazing bears: community-based carnivore scare tactics

Wesley Sarmento

Human-wildlife conflict can result in harm to people, their livelihoods, and frequently ends in
reduced tolerance for species and/or removal of animals. Preventing conflicts is essential for
conserving carnivore populations. Here I conduct a six-year study of the efficacy of a hazing
methods to prevent conflicts at deterring grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) away from people on the
prairies of North-Central Montana. I tested a burgeoning technology, drones, and traditional
methods of hazing bears including dogs, projectiles, and vehicular pursuit. Hazing stopped
undesirable behaviors and caused a significant increase in avoidance behavior and distance to
human infrastructure. Results suggest aversive conditioning occurred over longer time scales as
older bears required less hazing and hazing events decreased over each calendar year. Drones
outperformed other hazing techniques where the odds of a pursuit being possible increased
122 times relative to vehicular chasing due to accessibility issues. Dogs required high
maintenance and had an 85% reduction in the odds a hazing event would be successful relative
to vehicular pursuit. Grizzlies selected for flight locations further from roads and closer to
waterways. To broaden our understanding of deterrence techniques I conducted a systematic
literature search of peer-reviewed studies assessing hazing efficacy on predators globally.