Grizzly-Proof

Grizzly bears at the Bronx Zoo were purposefully teased with a bear-proof food canister designed for campers that was filled with apples. The canisters are actually designed for black bears, which campers are more likely to encounter in the wild than grizzlies. The reasoning was that if the canisters could withstand the curiosity of the grizzlies, then they would do fine against black bears, which are smaller and weaker.

Bear canisters recently became mandatory for campers in New York's Adirondack State Park this summer and must be used from April 1 to November 30, a period of increased black bear activity.

The food canisters are manufactured by Garcia Machines and are designed to benefit both the campers and the bears. Campers will be spared the surprise of waking up to a black bear rummaging through their packs and the bears will not get fat or become dependent on humans for food. According to research by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), black bears who have access to human food and garbage dumpsters are a third less active and weigh 30 percent more than bears living under wild conditions.

The grizzlies at the Bronx Zoo tried opening, clawing, crushing and biting the canisters, but the canisters remained sealed despite their best efforts. After about half an hour, the bears lost interest and gave up, and the canisters, a little roughed up but otherwise unopened, were left for the keepers to recover.

--Ker Than

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Credit:  Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society