The problem

We’ve been active in Romania for a while now, in our partnership with Foundation Conservation Carpathia. The problem we mainly focus on: keeping bears out of villages.

Some bears wander into villages looking for food. That’s a real problem, because it can lead to deadly conflicts between bears, livestock and people. Once bears learn this behaviour, they become problem bears. It gets even worse when they pass that behaviour on to their cubs. By then there’s often only one option left: relocating the bears, or worse.

Trying something new

We’ve previously worked with our Instant Detect cameras and acoustic repellers (read about that project). This time we wanted to try something different: could a kind of automated bear spray be an effective way to keep bears out of orchards?

The spray system

So we built an automated spray system: a long line fitted with nozzles that mist a strong-smelling substance. The idea is that this strong scent keeps bears at a distance and sends them back into the forest.