DWR Biologist Resting at Home after accident with tranquilizer

Quick action and training are the reasons a Utah Division of Wildlife
Resources biologist is resting comfortably at home with his family today.
The biologist, a 20-year veteran with the DWR, was released March 15 from
the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. He was hospitalized after
accidently being injected with a tranquilizer meant for a bear.
“This experience is a good example of the risks our biologists often take,
to manage and protect wildlife in Utah,” says Mike Canning, assistant DWR
director. “We’re so thankful that he’s OK and that he’s back home with his
family.”
 The biologist’s experience started on March 14, as he and six other DWR
personnel were visiting bear dens in the remote Book Cliffs in eastern Utah.
The DWR monitors the annual survival and reproduction rate of black bears
by tracking bears that biologists have placed radio collars on. Once the
collars are placed, biologists can use radio telemetry equipment to locate
the bears’ winter dens. After locating the dens, biologists dart and
tranquilize the bears, check their general body condition, replace worn
radio collars and look for cubs.
At about noon on March 14, the seven DWR personnel located the den of a
female bear (called a sow) that had given birth to two cubs during the
winter of 2015 - 2016.
“We were curious to see if the cubs had survived,” says Dax Mangus,
regional wildlife manager for the DWR.
The sow had excavated a den under a large rock on a steep hillside in a
canyon. “We successfully darted the collared female and noticed one
yearling bear also in the den with her,” he says. “We loaded another dart,
and were ready to dart the yearling, when the dart accidently discharged
and struck the biologist in his hand.”
Working with wildlife chemical immobilization drugs always presents risks,
but the DWR has an excellent safety record. If an incident does occur, DWR
personnel are trained to respond. In fact, of the seven DWR personnel who
were present, five of them completed the agency’s annual wildlife chemical
immobilization training two weeks ago.
“We acted on our training,” Mangus says. “We noted the time of injection,
the dosage received and then we started monitoring his condition. We knew
we had only 15 to 20 minutes before he possibly lost consciousness, so we
knew we had to act fast. We didn’t have any cell service. And, in the
steep, timbered canyon, we knew we couldn’t safely land a medical
helicopter. So, we made a plan.”
The biologists divided themselves into teams and immediately sent the
biologist and two others to the top of the ridge where they could get cell
service to call for help and where a helicopter could safely land. “We also
sent two individuals back to get our vehicles,” Mangus says. “The remaining
two employees gathered up all the equipment and then headed to the top of
the ridge where the biologist was.”
Mangus says the biologist hiked to the top of the ridge under his own
power, but then he started to feel weak. “We had him sit in the shade, gave
him water to sip and kept him engaged and alert,” he says. “As soon as we
had cell service, we notified police dispatch and gave a GPS location so
they could send a medical helicopter to transport the biologist to a
hospital for treatment.”
At about 2:45 p.m., the helicopter arrived and shortly thereafter the
biologist was flown to the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center where he was
treated. He was released on the morning of March 15 and is now resting and
recovering with his family.
“We feel fortunate that we were able to develop a quick response to the
incident and get appropriate medical help in a timely manner, despite being
in such a remote location,” Mangus says. “We’re so happy that he’s going to
be OK. He’s an awesome co-worker and a great friend.”