In the spring of 2023, Universal Pictures released a film about what happens when a 200-pound Grizzly bear ingests bricks of nose candy in the epic known as “Cocaine Bear.”
And while that movie was loosely based on a true story about a bear that ingested the drug after a plane crash, such fictional carnage may never have happened if a Grizzly Bear Conflict Manager had been called.
Though the bear’s story is fiction, that job is real. In fact, it’s a federal position under the Department of the Interior. And it pays a pretty penny too.
Grizzly Bear Conflict Managers serve under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The rating is GS-12 with a salary range of $79,363 to $103,176 a year.
According to the posting, “The Grizzly Bear Conflict Manager is responsible for coordinating grizzly bear conflict management in MT, WY, ID, and WA jointly with state agencies, tribes, and Wildlife Services (WS) according to grizzly bear recovery plan, Interagency Grizzly Bear Guidelines, and inter-agency agreements.”
What constitutes a Grizzly bear conflict, however, is absent from the job listing. Though it seems unlikely anyone who holds the position will serve as a referee in Ursus arctos horribilis wrestling matches.
It appears that the job focuses largely on preventing bear violence and tracking local Grizzly populations.
“[E]fforts include making final relocation and removal decisions, in consultation with Recovery Coordinator, and coordinating a ground response such as relocation, trapping operations, conflict prevention, and monitoring bears,” the posting reads.
What is clear about the position is that it requires a love of the outdoors and a relatively high level of physical fitness.
“When engaged in field activities, the work is at times strenuous, requiring exertion such as walking over wet, rough, uneven or rocky surfaces; bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, reaching, or similar activities,” the job post notes. “The work requires average agility and dexterity.”
Grizzly bear handling experience is needed, as the role is supervisory in nature, requiring the management of a team of Grizzly bear specialists. For that, a biological science degree is required on top of at least one year of related work experience.
If any of that gives you paws, this may not be the job for you.
Sarah Sicard is a Senior Editor with Military Times. She previously served as the Digitial Editor of Military Times and the Army Times Editor. Other work can be found at National Defense Magazine, Task & Purpose, and Defense News.
