Alaska News

VIDEO: Alaska Zoo brown bears participate in dietary study

It was naptime for Izzy and Oreo as the Alaska Zoo's brown bears (approximately 700 pounds each) were sedated as part of a University of Alaska Anchorage study about the eating habits of bears.

Alaska Zoo veterinarian Riley Wilson, his assistant and daughter Calista, curator Shannon Jenson, and UAA research scientist Matt Rogers gathered blood and hair samples from the two bears for the study.

By getting a baseline of the bears in captivity, biologists can compare data with information gathering from the wild and learn more about the dietary habits of brown bears.

Watch this video on Vimeo or YouTube, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great videos. Contact Tara Young at tara(at)alaskadispatch.com.

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