A Mother Bear Trains Her Cubs to Attack Trail Cameras, Leaving Researchers Scrambling for Solutions.
A bear family repeatedly destroys trail cameras. (Video: Voyageurs Wolf Project)
A group of wildlife in Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota has been systematically destroying the researchers’ trail cameras. The culprits are believed to be a black bear and her three cubs. This bear family has been caught on camera destroying equipment at a remote beaver pond a total of five times over the past year, Business Insider reported on September 16.
The mother bear is teaching her three cubs to destroy cameras. They are expected to threaten any trail cameras in the forest in the coming years, according to the Voyageurs Wolf Project at the University of Minnesota. In footage recorded by authorities, the mother bear calmly leads her family toward the camera before smashing or overturning the device. Thomas Gable, head of the Voyageurs Wolf Project, noted that the bears often overturn and eventually damage their cameras. “Most of the time, they just flip the camera over and walk away. However, we have had many trail cameras completely destroyed by bears chewing on them,” Gable shared.
Mother bear trains her three cubs to destroy trail cameras.
The research team has set up over 200 trail cameras to monitor wolves. According to Gable, black bears pose a minor challenge in operating the camera network. Scientists are frustrated by the continuous overturning of cameras. One cub even expressed its displeasure toward a trail camera after failing to attract its mother’s attention. Gable suggested that bears could be deterred from affecting the cameras by placing the devices in protective metal boxes, although this process requires significant effort in setup.
The black bear (scientific name Ursus americanus) is an omnivorous species, with adults weighing between 90 to 270 kg. Their primary diet consists of grasses, roots, berries, and insects. Their climbing, swimming, and fishing skills allow black bears to adapt well to their natural habitats in North America.
In addition to black bears, the research team also has to deal with cameras being attacked by the very species they are studying. Recently, they shared a four-minute clip showing wolves working together to target a roadside camera.
