23-07-2025
Grizzlies Were Raiding Montana Farms. Then Came Some Formidable Dogs.
The grizzly bears feasted on piles of spilled wheat and barley. They broke into grain bins. They helped themselves to apples from family orchards. Sometimes they massacred chickens or picked off calves.
Once nearly eradicated from the lower 48 United States, grizzlies are growing in population and spreading onto Montana's plains, where they had not roamed in perhaps a century.
In their travels, they've acquired a fondness for the good eating to be found in farmyards.
This is a grave problem for both humans and bears. The safety of farmers and their families is at stake, and so is the survival of the bears, which could get themselves killed by threatening people's lives and livelihoods.
Enter the bear dogs. This one's name is Patton, and he's a Turkish Boz shepherd.
Tell Us About Solutions Where You Live
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
