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Wildlife K-9 Team
We are the only organization of our kind offering innovative and proactive human-wildlife conflict solutions for government agencies, industry groups, and private entitites. Our unique methods and techniques are founded in behavioral science and delivered by a team of specialized biologists partnered with wildlife K-9s to prevent and reduce human-wildlife conflict. We offer bear guarding services, wildlife monitoring, hazing, and aversive conditioning, bear den detection surveys, use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems for wildlife application, wildlife crime detection and investigation, and wildlife attack response . Contact us today for a free quote!
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Consulting
We offer a variety of consulting services including on-site bear hazard assessments for communities and proposed development areas, bear safety training for government agencies, industry, and private entities, specialized training in key uses of Wildlife K-9 for wildlife application, outreach and education presentations, and environmental consulting services. Our human-wildlife conflict specialists are highly trained wildlife biologists that use proactive, non-lethal methods to address wildlife conflict issues. We are able to work in remote and urban settings, in a variety of ecosystems, between multiple stakeholders. Contact us today for a free quote!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Bear Shepherding"?
Bear Shepherding is the unique approach that WRBI has developed over the past 30+ years of bear research & management. It is a non-lethal approach to reducing the frequency & severity of human-bear conflicts by working directly with people and bears: teaching people practical & effective ways to reduce bear-access to human-associated attractants, while simultaneously using safe & effective aversives to push bears out & away from human-use areas and keep them out. Bear Shepherding approaches the conflict problem from a behavioral perspective: how is human behavior increasing conflict? How can human behaviors change to help prevent conflicts in the future? What foraging behaviors have bears learned that are leading to conflict? How can we secure bear-access to human-associated attractants and then tip the bear’s cost-benefit analysis to increase cost to the foraging behavior that is causing the conflict? Ultimately, the goal of Bear Shepherding is to empower people living & recreating in bear country with the tools & training needed to prevent poor human-bear interactions, while simultaneously reinforcing wild bear’s human avoidance behavior. We want bears to understand that people do not have food for them, that attempting to forage around people is unpleasant, that the bear can leave, that it has to leave now, and that people will let them leave. We want to increase bear wariness and avoidance of people to minimizes the risk of unfavorable outcomes for bears & people. Since 1996, WRBI Program Members have conducted hundreds of bear actions each year using foundational principles of Bear Shepherding without injury to people, bears, or dogs.
How Much Does it Cost?
We offer custom packages specially tailored to address the problem at hand. Contact us for a quote!
What is a Wildlife K-9?
Wildlife K-9s (WK-9) are specially trained working dogs, predominantly Karelian Bear Dogs, that assist our Human-Wildlife Conflict Specialists to work safely and effectively with large and potentially dangerous wildlife. Wildlife K-9s are able to track and alert on the presence or sign of target wildlife, pursue and push large game, act as a non-lethal last resort to deter aggressive wildlife, and act as ambassadors for the animal kingdom in outreach and education events. Our WK-9s are exclusively used for conservation purposes and applied management. They are unique in that they are able to both detect and indicate on scent, but also push large and potentially dangerous wildlife away from human-occupied space in a safe and effective way. Our WK-9s are especially friendly towards people and are forbidden to be used for arresting or detaining human subjects. WK-9s are an incredible tool for wildlife conservation in that they can go from pushing a grizzly bear off of a school playground to visiting with the children at the school to promote bear safety and awareness!
Where are you located?
The Wind River Bear Institute is based out of Florence, Montana and Fairbanks, Alaska. We have worked throughout North America and Japan over the past 30+ years but our techniques can be applied to other species of large and potentially dangerous wildlife including cougar, moose, and big horn sheep. Our unique approach to addressing human-wildlife conflict issues can be applied worldwide!
Do you sell karelian bear dogs?
Upon receiving a sufficient pool of qualified applicants, we breed our top “Bear Conflict” level KBDs to produce a litter. We rigorously test each litter through our two-week “Bear Test” in which we separate our dogs into Bear Conflict, Bear Protection, and Companion Dog categories. Bear Conflict dogs are to be placed in a working capacity with wildlife professionals for training to become a “Wildlife K-9.” Bear Protection dogs are placed with people living or recreating in bear country for bear protection purposes. Companion dogs are placed with individuals that are not interested in using their KBD for application with bear. If you are interested in becoming part of our Program, fill out our KBD Placement Questionnaire and begin the ownership process today!
Contact Us
Richard Shideler, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, with WRBI Director, Nils Pedersen, handling Wildlife K-9s “Soledad” and “Kavik” to locate an active polar bear den for industry avoidance in the North Slope oilfields of Alaska.
WRBI Director, Nils Pedersen, working with the BLM – Alaska Fire Service to reduce human-caused bear mortality and improve worker safety on the Dalton Highway Fire Complex. Pictured here are Wildlife K-9s “Mardy”, “Soledad”, and “Rio” with Fire Fighters, volunteer WK9 Handlers, helping to push black bears out and away from camp.
Quick Links
locations
ALASKA
Nils Pedersen
P.O. Box 750689
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775
(907) 347-7485
nils@beardogs.org
MONTANA
Carrie Hunt
5353 E. Carlton Creek Road
Florence, Montana 59833
(406) 546-7051
windriver@beardogs.org
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Join our cause and hire us to help with your human-wildlife conflict issues today. We offer Wildlife K-9 Teams, consulting, and training services for government agencies, industry groups, and private entities. Our motto: “Teach Your Wildlife Well”.
Donate Now
Donate now and help WRBI advance the use of Wildlife K-9 dogs to reduce human-wildlife conflict and make the world safer for bears & people! All donations are tax deductable and will go directly to supporting the health, training, & wellbeing of our KBD Wildlife K-9 Teams and their efforts to keep Wild Bears Wild.