BP Funds PBI Hearing Study
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Shikari, an adult female polar bear at the San Diego Zoo, is learning to touch her tongue to a target every time she hears a "ping!" through a speaker. Her trainer, Senior Animal Keeper JoAnne Simerson, rewards each success with a treat.
The Project's Importance
Shikari, who arrived at the zoo as an orphaned cub, is adding to our understanding of the world's polar bears by taking part in a PBI-initiated study on the polar bear's hearing range. BP has provided funding for the project, which will help biologists set guidelines so that human, industrial-related activities don't disturb the bears. This is particularly critical during the sensitive denning period.
In awarding the grant, BP noted that obtaining a clear understanding of polar bear hearing will allow scientists and industry to better understand the frequencies and levels of received sound that could affect bear behavior. The company recognizes that such research is especially important in light of recent warming trends in the Arctic.
Headphones and Buckets
Scientist Megan Owen of the San Diego Zoo developed the methodology for the project and pulled together the research team. "We are basically designing a mobile lab that we can take to different locations," Owen says. "After we've tested the bears at the San Diego Zoo, we'll be able to take the lab on the road to Sea World or other places."
In designing the study, Owen talked with Drs. Steven Amstrup and Tom Smith of the U.S. Geographical Survey to understand the needs of polar bear biologists in Alaska and to troubleshoot issues. "Such a test would be impossible to perform in the wild," says PBI's President, Robert Buchanan.
Owen says that the hearing test is similar to those that humans take in a doctor's office. "We'll broadcast pure tones at various frequencies and then go lower and lower until the bears can't hear them," she says.
To accomplish this, the team is designing a mobile lab—basically, a bottomless bucket with headphones inside. Researchers attach the bucket to a fence and the bears stick their head inside to hear the sounds.
The Project's Importance
Shikari, who arrived at the zoo as an orphaned cub, is adding to our understanding of the world's polar bears by taking part in a PBI-initiated study on the polar bear's hearing range. BP has provided funding for the project, which will help biologists set guidelines so that human, industrial-related activities don't disturb the bears. This is particularly critical during the sensitive denning period.
In awarding the grant, BP noted that obtaining a clear understanding of polar bear hearing will allow scientists and industry to better understand the frequencies and levels of received sound that could affect bear behavior. The company recognizes that such research is especially important in light of recent warming trends in the Arctic.
Headphones and Buckets
Scientist Megan Owen of the San Diego Zoo developed the methodology for the project and pulled together the research team. "We are basically designing a mobile lab that we can take to different locations," Owen says. "After we've tested the bears at the San Diego Zoo, we'll be able to take the lab on the road to Sea World or other places."
In designing the study, Owen talked with Drs. Steven Amstrup and Tom Smith of the U.S. Geographical Survey to understand the needs of polar bear biologists in Alaska and to troubleshoot issues. "Such a test would be impossible to perform in the wild," says PBI's President, Robert Buchanan.
Owen says that the hearing test is similar to those that humans take in a doctor's office. "We'll broadcast pure tones at various frequencies and then go lower and lower until the bears can't hear them," she says.
To accomplish this, the team is designing a mobile lab—basically, a bottomless bucket with headphones inside. Researchers attach the bucket to a fence and the bears stick their head inside to hear the sounds.