Bear Research

Research working for WSU student

Hands-on experience. In almost any career, having that line on a resume is a huge benefit. When that career is wildlife ecology, just what you get your hands on can be pretty interesting. Take Taylor Schaeffer, a senior at WSU who majoring in wildlife ecology and a volunteer at the WSU Bear Research, Education, and […]

Two people kneel on the ground. The woman is holding a bear paw that is sticking out of a portable cage.

A year in review at the WSU Bear Center

The bears will soon head off to hibernation, wrapping up another busy and educational year at the WSU Bear Research, Education, and Conservation Center. Traditionally, our WSU bears begin going into hibernation around November 1. The last day they are given food is October 31, though they have been tapering off in their meals for […]

A bear hangs off the edge of a wooden play structure looking for food.

Big data on big animals

Work at the WSU Bear Research, Education, and Conservation Center goes well beyond important things like enrichment programs and energy-monitoring collars. WSU scientists are looking at the genomic level to try and determine the myriad number of ways that bears adapt to their climate. Joanna Kelley, an evolutionary geneticist and assistant professor in WSU’s School […]

Formal portrait photo of Joanna Kelley

Unseasonal wake-up brought about by food

If bears are fed during hibernation, they wake up. But not completely. That’s the preliminary finding from a research study conducted this winter at the WSU Bear Research, Education, and Conservation Center, where scientists fed seven bears glucose every day for 10 days. Four WSU bears were not fed during hibernation, serving as the control […]

A bear stands on his hind legs to grab an apple off a pole.