Experts fight grizzly bear problem with drones to yell at them and blast heavy metal tunes

Grizzly, meet Ozzy.Wildlife managers in western states are buzzing grizzlies bears using drones and even blaring heavy metal tunes to scare away the bears expand across Montana’s northern plains.Sometimes, the noise of the drone’s propellers is enough to push the apex predators away from ranches, grain bins and other potential trouble spots, according to Cowboy State Daily.Other times, it takes a more human sound — such as talking or even yelling at the animals through drone-mounted speakers — to scare them off, said Dave Kemp, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Conrad-area grizzly bear management specialist. “We need to associate that drone activity with human activity, so the bear can make the connection: ‘This drone means people, and I don’t want to have anything to do with it,’” Kemp told the outlet.Although the hazing tactics have mostly kept Montana’s prairie grizzlies from running into people, they’re not always successful.The bears are repopulating the area, and have moved all the way into the Missouri Breaks region, the newspaper said.And they’re not always receptive to managers’ efforts — as one May incident showed.That time, a black bear in Golden, Colorado, climbed a tree and didn’t budge, even when wildlife agents and local cops sent a drone to hover above it blaring Black Sabbath’s legendary metal anthem “Iron Man.”But that head-banging bruin aside, the drones have been a bit of a godsend, Kemp said.The machines help wildlife managers track the bears’ locations without putting humans in harm’s way, he said.They can also outfit the drones with equipment that picks up the bear’s heat signature, thereby helping workers find hidden grizzlies already hunkered down in the thick brush, the newspaper said.Montana’s not the only state trying to haze the bears into staying away from people — neighboring Wyoming has also taken up the mantle.“We use drones for myriad applications in wildlife, including for grizz...