Grizzly Bears Captured on Collar Cams in Alaska's Remote North Slope

Researchers document the lives of one of the world's most isolated grizzly bear populations.

Feb. 1, 2026 at 12:31pm

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Researchers from Washington State University and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game have outfitted 12 grizzly bears in Alaska's remote North Slope region with collar cameras to document their daily lives. The videos provide a rare glimpse into how these bears survive in the frigid, treeless terrain near the Arctic Ocean, showing them hunting, foraging, playing, and interacting with other wildlife like wolves.

Why it matters

The research project aims to better understand how this isolated population of grizzly bears obtains the food resources needed to survive the region's long winters, as well as the potential impacts of oil and gas development on their denning areas and movements. The data collected could help inform conservation efforts and land management decisions in this remote and environmentally sensitive area.

The details

The researchers have captured footage of the bears eating caribou and musk ox carcasses, hunting caribou calves, and foraging for berries and other vegetation once the tundra greens up in the spring and summer. The bears in this region are smaller than their salmon-eating counterparts, only reaching up to 350 pounds compared to 1,000 pounds. To outfit the bears with the collar cameras, the researchers track them by helicopter, dart them with tranquilizers, and carefully fit the collars to allow for growth while ensuring they don't fall off.

  • In May, the researchers tracked the bears through the snow by helicopter and fitted them with the collar cameras.
  • In August and September, the researchers darted the bears again to replace the collars and download the video data.
  • The study will continue for another two years, with plans to add collars to 24 more bears.

The players

Washington State University

A public research university that is leading the grizzly bear collar camera project in collaboration with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

The state wildlife agency that is partnering with Washington State University on the grizzly bear research project.

Ellery Vincent

A doctoral student at Washington State University who is leading the grizzly bear collar camera project.

Jordan Pruszenski

A wildlife biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game who is working on the grizzly bear research project.

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What they’re saying

“They really have a really short window to obtain enough food resources to pack on enough fat to survive that period.”

— Ellery Vincent, Doctoral student, Washington State University

“One thing that's really nice about these bears is that when they're foraging on a particular food they tend to do that one thing for a long period of time, so these bears will spend pretty much their entire day eating, so the chances of us actually seeing what they're doing are pretty high.”

— Ellery Vincent, Doctoral student, Washington State University

What’s next

The researchers plan to continue the study for another two years, with plans to add collar cameras to 24 more grizzly bears in the North Slope region. The data collected could help identify important denning areas for the bears that need to be protected from oil and gas development in the region.

The takeaway

This unique research project is providing an unprecedented look into the daily lives of one of the most remote and isolated grizzly bear populations in the world, offering valuable insights that can inform conservation efforts and land management decisions in Alaska's fragile North Slope region.