Grizzly reality: US states grapple with uptick in encounters between bears and humans

A bear management ranger, left, throws a rock as a volunteer shouts at a black bear yearling to direct it back into a less populated area near Colter Bay in Grand Teton national park in Wyoming, on 9 September 2024. Photograph: Amber Baeslar for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Dan Thompson, supervisor of the large carnivore section of the Wyoming game and fish department, enjoys the field work of capturing mountain lions, wolves, black bears and grizzly bears to study them.

“I have always been personally intrigued with carnivores and their role throughout any ecosystem,” Thompson said. “I actually feel very fortunate to get paid to do what we do.”