Watching Grizzly Bears Hibernate

Apr 1, 2003 12:00 PM

Orphaned grizzly bears at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife in North Vancouver, B.C., are being monitored with a video security system from Silent Witness, Surrey, B.C.

“For the first time we are able to monitor the behavior of grizzly bears throughout the course of their hibernation, revealing behavior and habits that were previously unknown to researchers,” says Ken Macquisten, D.V.M., director of the refuge.

The rugged terrain, harsh alpine environment and long distances between the cameras and monitoring station presented a unique set of challenges for the installation. The SWX45 camera with day/night functionality was chosen to monitor the grizzlies as they hibernate. With the camera's built-in IR Illuminators, the bears can clearly be seen inside their dens, even in complete darkness.

The DVMS 1600 Duplex digital video management system, which is at the center of this installation, records digital video from the cameras at up to 60fps and stores it on hard drives for easy future viewing. It also displays the bears during their hibernation on video monitors for the wildlife staff and visitors to view.