would you do this for a masters thesis? | The Woodsman Hut | Forums

me? Not a chance

Wes is seen here crawling into a unusually deep and narrow 70 foot den in order to sedate and re-collar a 320lb male black bear around Bryce Canyon National Park. It was one of the most claustrophobic and scary situations of my life. Wes disappeared into the den of this hibernating bear armed with only a short aluminum pole attached to a tranquilizer dart. The tunnel was only as big as the bear with no escape except a very quick 50 foot backwards crawl should he decide to charge.

Wes, 31, is a masters student at Brigham Young University who is currently doing his thesis research on black bear (Ursus Americanus) populations around Bryce Canyon National Park. The study is looking at the way that bears in the area are using both natural and human sources of food, and the is designed to help Bryce Canyon National Park avoid any problems with bears that could potentially see campgrounds and other human features as easy food sources. This kind of research is important in an areas like Bryce that see a lot of tourism as it benefits both bears and humans.

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