MINNEAPOLIS: Bears show signs of stress when drones are flown near them, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota put health tracking collars on six bears, and measured data during 17 drone flights.
The heart rate of all the bears increased when the drones were flown within 20 metres of their location.
According to BBC, the study concluded more research was needed to see whether bears would get accustomed to drone flights over time.
Despite the rise in heart rate, the bears did not usually display a behavioural response to the drone.
“Bears in this population live in a highly human-altered landscape”, the researchers wrote, “And therefore may exhibit lower stress responses.”
