back to article Riddle solved: Do bears crap in the woods? No – they're stressing out over drones instead

Bears, those savage and fearless predators of the wild, are driven to distraction by hovering unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs aka drones). Researchers at the University of Minnesota have been studying local black bears using iridium satellite GPS collars fitted with heart-rate monitors, and a drone to keep track of them from …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Kill the buggers

    Since these animals are likely to cause a nuisance why don't we simply kill them all.....phew scared of a little drone, and since we wouldn't want anything getting in the way of military technology..certainly not dammed tree hugging plantigrades.

    Seriously though, imagine what it does to peoples heart rates in Iraq etc when they hear/see these damned thing hovering overhead..

    It seems that for every marvel of technology that we invent, that nature becomes a little less natural.....

    Maybe one day we will be reduced to plastic bears, polystyrene eagles and polypropylene plants.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Kill the buggers

      If the Google AI takes over, you will be a battery!

    2. Ragarath

      Re: Kill the buggers

      Maybe one day we will be reduced to plastic bears, polystyrene eagles and polypropylene plants.

      With the speed of that Eagle attack (around 5-6 seconds from take off) it may take a bit more than a drone to do away with them they'll be around for a while.

    3. David Nash Silver badge

      Re: Kill the buggers

      "that nature becomes a little less natural....."

      I am not condoning bear-bothering but I am always interested by people's definition of "natural".

      It seems that anything done by humans="unnatural" and anything done by other species="natural".

      Why is that, I wonder? some other animals and birds use tools - is that natural? a termite hill - is that natural?

      1. Sir Runcible Spoon

        Re: What is natural?

        Animals use tools that naturally occur, they also build structures from natural materials.

        Man tends to use man-made tools and build structures using man-made materials.

        I guess the clue is in the description.

        1. David Nash Silver badge

          Re: What is natural?

          And what are man-made tools and man-made materials made from?

          It's all "natural" ultimately.

        2. toughluck

          @Sir RS

          When beavers build dams, do they use tree logs that naturally occur or must they be first chewed down? If a bear takes a branch and snaps it in half, is it naturally occurring or has it been modified?

          --

          From the other side of the argument: how is petroleum, iron, sand/glass or cement/concrete anything but natural?

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: @Sir RS

            "From the other side of the argument: how is petroleum, iron, sand/glass or cement/concrete anything but natural"

            Agreed but it is what we do with these things natural that become unnatural.

            Almost indestructible "plastics", Uranium enrichment facilities, biological warfare laboratories are anything but natural.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Kill the buggers

        "Why is that, I wonder? some other animals and birds use tools - is that natural? a termite hill - is that natural?"

        What the animals do is generally is for survival, much of what we do ends up being used for destruction ( thanks to the Military and the endless greed of governments/politicians).

        Most of what the animals use will inevitably end up back in nature and reused within a very short timescale..nature regenerates... Much of what we do will end up back in nature and might be useable again in about 50000 years but might also destroy all that is in the near vicinity ( What is the half life of uranium/plutonium)..

        The animals don't wantonly poison the earth, we could give a fuck as long as money can be made from our exploits..

        Have you ever seen the size of the mines in South Africa for exampe.....even the largest trucks, which are huge, appear to be tiny next to the mountains of earth that has been excavated.....

        We have literally become more powerful that nature, we can indeed destroy the earth many time over, when the American government decides that it is time to depopulate the earth we will quickly learn how much wanton destruction we are capable of....

        I do not believe that animals take pleasure in destruction whereas we even go so far as to pay to do it.

        Ad infinitum.

        1. Eddy Ito

          Re: Kill the buggers

          ( What is the half life of uranium/plutonium)

          It depends on the particular isotope but it's anywhere from about 14 years for Pu 241 to 4.4x10^9 years for U 238. In fact if you look up Oklo you'll find that fission is a naturally occurring thing also. All we did was find a way to use it.

          We have literally become more powerful that nature

          Please try again. Before you go declaring that we're more powerful than nature please check back in to reality and examine the world around you. I shouldn't have to point out things like Typhoon Soudelor or the tsunami that caused the disaster at Fukushima but apparently you've become so isolated from nature that your point of view is a bit distorted.

          1. Captain DaFt

            Re: Kill the buggers

            "I shouldn't have to point out things like Typhoon Soudelor or the tsunami that caused the disaster at Fukushima"

            Not to mention, take the entire nuclear arsenal of mankind, then compare it to the rather mediocre (In Nature's terms) nuclear detonation our world has been orbiting for a few billion years.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Kill the buggers

              Next you will be explaining that all this is the work of "Deity", please, please, plesae stop apologizing for mankind's mistakes...

              We fuck things up big style and the world walks around like the Threee Wise Monkys, fucking pathetic really...

              I read somewhere that mankind was the parasite of the earth, it wasn't a mistake.

              Just like the politicians most people woul rather argue moot points and ignore that matters at hand, why does no-one talk about over-population, why are we not "forcing* a new power, other than oil to be used, the technology is there, why are wee still rapingAfrica etc of all the minerals, all this because you want comfort and riches and couldn't give a shit about the guy next door....fucking pathetic really..

              1. ravenviz Silver badge
                Facepalm

                Re: Kill the buggers

                We fuck things up big style

                Who says? We do.

                Circular argument?

              2. Eddy Ito

                Re: Kill the buggers

                Just like the politicians most people woul rather argue moot points and ignore that matters at hand, why does no-one talk about over-population, why are we not "forcing* a new power, other than oil to be used, the technology is there, why are wee still rapingAfrica etc of all the minerals, all this because you want comfort and riches and couldn't give a shit about the guy next door....fucking pathetic really..

                Does over-population actually exist? Why are you so eager to use "force" to solve problems you perceive? It sort of paints you as a person who "couldn't give a shit about the guy next door" if you're ready to use force to solve problems. I'd be interested to know how a individual such as yourself uses force to solve a problem like over-population and whether you have any preferred methods from history. I hear some guys named Joe Stalin and Saloth Sar among others had some ideas that might work.

  2. xeroks

    Stressed by hovering thing

    If a mozzie is flying around the vicinity, I get slightly stressed. If it's a wasp, more stressed. If it's a giant hornet monster thing, more so. Following this entirely logical path suggests that a hovering thing the size of a drone should cause mad panic.

    This finding proves that bears are far, far cooler in the presence of potential danger than we thought possible.

    1. ravenviz Silver badge
      Boffin

      Re: Stressed by hovering thing

      giant hornet monster thing is probably a European hornet, and apparently they are quite docile, "there has only been one documented case of a European Hornet sting causing someone to seek medical attention" (Wikipedia).

  3. Unep Eurobats
    Mushroom

    Escalation needed

    Nobody would dare try this with sharks, they have frikkin' lasers. We need to arm the bears. I suggest ... bazookas! Yes, bears with bazookas. Bring it on.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Escalation needed

      Bazookas. Firing chainsaws.

    2. Graham Marsden
      Coat

      Re: Escalation needed

      Don't forget, in America you have the right to keep and arm bears...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Escalation needed

        As a result, the scientists found that while bears will stand their ground to the lingering drone

        Bears don't like progressivism, right? They are supposed to leave the premises and NOT engage in escalation...

      2. Mark 85

        @Graham Marsden --- Re: Escalation needed

        You got it wrong. We only have the right to bear arms. The rest of the bear we have no right to.

    3. Dave Bell

      Re: Escalation needed

      I support the right to keep and arm bears/

  4. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Alien

    The right to arm bears etc..

    Well, ok. So you are being chased by a hovering UFO making noises generally ascribed to FUCKING MONSTER INSECTS OF THE CARBONIFER, so what's a honest-to-God mammal not reading "IEEE Spectrum" and rather certain that he's not currently on the Presidential Kill List going to do?

    Probably act nonchalant and tweet about it...

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Shoot the Drones not the Bears

    Drones this, Drones that....

    I am sorry to DRONE (sic) on about them but the sooner they are banned (or dropped in favor of some other craze) the better.

    I have my catapult with BB shot at the ready for any that dare to come and hover over my home.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Shoot the Drones not the Bears

      This was honest research, not nerd-fuelled amusement though.

      And if you think drones are going anywhere soon (except to where they are not easily distinguishable from insects), you are in for a long wait.

  6. Amorous Cowherder
    Facepalm

    Well bugger me sideways! Basic scientific principle discovered, that you affect the result by way of the tools you use to measure. Who'd 'ave thunk it, that flying, whirring and buzzing things frighten animals or at the very least, gets them worked up?!

  7. Bob Wheeler
    Trollface

    Never mind using shotguns...

    I'm going to get me some eagles.

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon
      Joke

      Bears & Eagles

      You just reminded me of the old Salmon advert..

      http://www.adweek.com/video/advertising-branding/funniest-commercials-john-west-salmon-bear-132698

      1. Pedigree-Pete

        Re: Bears & Eagles

        Have an upvote good Sir for bringing this back. Funniest ad ever.

  8. disgruntled yank

    Just a thought

    Perhaps citizens bothered by drones could take up falconry. The bird takes off from the other side of the house, takes down the drone, and bird and gauntlet are secured before the furious drone owner shows up. If this becomes a trend, we could also see the pigeon and starling populations thinned out some.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  9. Tikimon
    FAIL

    Terminate their funding NOW

    What so-called excuse for a scientist approved this study method? 20 meters is far too close to have ANYTHING shadowing a bear. A whining, flying thing that visibly tracks their every move? Of course it's going to stress the bears! Any graduate student should know better.

    I suggest immediate withdrawal of the grant funding this crowd of twats. They clearly know little about wildlife to choose such an invasive, disruptive observation method.

    1. Triggerfish

      Re: Terminate their funding NOW

      How do you know its going to stress the bears until you find out?

      Seems to me its was experiment, see results act on conclusion.

      PS you can often get quite close to wildlife, some animals are indifferent (or seem so), some animals get used to things and don't care.

      1. JDX Gold badge

        Re: Terminate their funding NOW

        20m is a long way really, for something that is supposed to be stealthy.

  10. lawndart

    asks:

    Were the bears' heart rates still raised by a similar amount if the drone carried a roll of toilet paper (or a rabbit)?

  11. Paul 129
    Facepalm

    Stalking

    Being followed my a drone everywhere I'm sure my heat rate would do the same thing.

  12. Martin Budden Silver badge

    Sage advice right there.

    Always amend your flight plans to avoid large raptors.

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