Sun’aq Tribe intern helps collar bears and elk

Jessica Rich poses with unconscious young male bear. (Photo courtesy of Jerry Belant/Mississippi State University)
A small number of people ever get to touch a Kodiak bear in their lifetime.
Sun’aq Tribe wildlife intern Jessica Rich had the opportunity multiple times this summer.
She participated in a study looking at how foresting could be affecting elk and bear populations on Afognak Island. That involved knocking the animals unconscious and then collaring them with devices that can trac