Washington State University Bear Research, Education and Conservation Program

The bear in the background is Oscar, a subadult grizzly born in January 1995. Please check back often and direct any questions regarding the Program or this webpage to the WSU Bear Program. Click here for Washington State University's homepage.

Mission

Facilities Personnel The Bears Research
Links Funding

Mission:

Bear populations around the world have declined precipitously due to loss of habitat and excessive killing by man. Eight species of bears, six of which are threatened or endangered, exist worldwide.

In the U.S. grizzlies outside of Alaska have been eliminated from 99% of their range and their numbers reduced from 100,000 to fewer than 1,000 since Europeans arrived on the continent. Significant grizzly populations now live only in the Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems. Very small populations inhabit the North Cascades of Washington, the Selkirks of Washington and Idaho, and the Cabinet-Yaaks of Idaho and Montana. The American black bear continues to do well, although isolated populations in the southeast are threatened.

In China, giant pandas occupy less than 1% of their former range and number fewer than 1,200. Populations of sun bears, Asiatic black bears, and sloth bears in Asia are declining rapidly and are threatened or endangered over most of their range. The polar bear population had declined to fewer than 10,000 worldwide in the mid-1960's. Since the enactment of international treaties at that time, the population has rebounded to more than 25,000.

In 1986 the bear program at Washington State University was established to provide information and the understanding necessary to conserve bears around the world. WSU scientists from the Departments of Zoology and Natural Resource Sciences have worked with the three North American species-grizzly, polar and American black-as well as the Asiatic sun bear and the South American Spectacled bear (now being called the Andean bear). Because the WSU Bear Program is the only facility in the world to house adult grizzlies for research, university, government, and zoo scientists from across the U.S. and other countries have come to study at WSU.

to top of page.

Facilities:

The facility for the bears includes a 2-acre exercise yard and six indoor-outdoor pens with temperature-controlled dens. The dens serve as cool refuge on hot summer days and as a quiet, peaceful area for winter hibernation. The exercise yard is being developed to provide the most enjoyment for the bears.

to top of page.

Personnel:

Master's, doctoral, and post-doctoral students train in the program. The students have the rewarding opportunity to work with the bears on a daily basis, to know them as individuals, to contribute to bear conservation through their research, and to develop a lasting appreciation to bears and their needs. All of the research is conducted under the direction of

Dr. Charles Robbins
Bear Research, Education and Conservation Program
Departments of Natural Resource Sciences and Zoology
Washington State University
Pullman, WA  99164-4236

to top of page.

The Bears:

The number of bears in the program fluctuates depending upon research needs. While the four adult grizzlies (Bo, Irving, June and Patches) are permanent residents at WSU, other bears stay only as long as they are needed for a specific project. Then these bears usually are given to zoos or sanctuaries. While an occasional black bear can be released to the wild if it has not associated people with food, grizzlies are too dangerous to be released given they have been fed by humans most of their lives.

All of the long-term residents were orphaned as cubs. Because cubs depend on their mother for several years, none of the WSU bears would have survived without man's help. The history of Bo and Irving is typical of the bears in the program. They were found as 35-pound yearlings in northern British Columbia lying next to their mother, who had died of natural causes. After a year of good food at WSU each weighed 350 pounds.

to top of page.

Research:

WSU scientists and students work with both free-ranging and captive bears. Because it is necessary to weigh the bears regularly, draw blood samples, and provide special diets, not all of the research can be done in the wild. Research with captive bears permits a more in-depth understanding of bear biology.

Areas of research conducted in the program include:

Ecology

Nutrition

Physiology

The ultimate goal of research in the program is to help both wild and captive bears lead healthier, more productive lives while training students to actively participate in bear conservation.

Tours and discussions about the natural history and conservation of bears are given to the public and hundreds of local school children as part of the program's educational mission.

to top of page.

Links:

The International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA)
The Bear Den
Yellowstone Journal
Yellowstone Grizzly Foundation
Grizzly Discovery Center
The Conservation Biology Alternative for Grizzly Bear Population
British Columbia Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy
US Fish & Wildlife Service Grizzly Description

to top of page.

Funding:

The program has been supported by Washington State University, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Institutes of Health, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, several state agencies, Chevron USA, and many individuals deeply concerned about the plight of bears and the education of our future wildlife scientists. Private donations are particularly important in providing continuity when state and federal funding fluctuates, in enriching the lives of the captive bears, and in providing support for students. Donations can be directed for specific purposes or projects. If you would like to know more about bears or the program, or if you wish to become involved in the program or its funding, please contact:

Dr. Charles Robbins, Director
Bear Research, Education and Conservation Program
Departments of Natural Resource Sciences and Zoology
Washington State University
PO Box 644236
Pullman, WA  99164-4236

or email the WSU Bear Program.

to top of page.