Skip to content

Bear killed on tracks

A female black bear has been struck and killed by a freight train in Banff National Park, leaving behind an orphaned cub to find a way to survive on its own.

A female black bear has been struck and killed by a freight train in Banff National Park, leaving behind an orphaned cub to find a way to survive on its own.

The adult female bear was struck on the Canadian Pacific Railway line near Carrot Creek on the evening of Sept. 27 -– the third human-caused black bear death on the roads and railway line in Banff so far this year.

Parks Canada officials say wildlife management staff found the mother bear dead at the scene, but the eight- to nine-month-old cub was uninjured.

“The young-of-year was observed mobile at the site and at one point seen laying on the mother, unfortunately,” said David Gummer, wildlife ecologist with Banff National Park. “It was a heartbreaking scene.”

Gummer said the brown-coloured cub fled up a nearby tree when wildlife staff hazed it so they could move the remains of the adult bear away from the railway line.

“We moved the remains to reduce the risk of the young bear also being struck on the railway if it remained near its mother,” he said.

Black bears in this region typically stay with their mothers for the first two summers before branching off on their own. In this case, it’s thought the young bear had already weaned off nursing.

The odds of survival for young-of-year cubs are relatively low, but there have been documented cases in North America in which both black and grizzly bear cubs of this age have survived without their mothers.

Gummer said this bear cub appeared healthy and in good body condition, estimated at about 15 kilograms.

“We can’t really speculate on its chances of survival, but in its favour is certainly its age and really favourable body size. At that age and that body size, it certainly can be self-sufficient,” he said.

“Normally, black bears would remain with their mother until their second summer, but here in Banff and elsewhere around North America it’s been learned that bears that lose their mother in the first year can survive successfully and will instinctively den as winter approaches.”

The biggest risks to the cub are encountering large male bears, being hit on the railway line or roads or getting into food or garbage in the Banff townsite.

“We don’t necessarily expect that to be case,” Gummer said. “It’s a difficult time of year, but they are omnivores and they will find small food items like insects, berries and vegetation.”

Gummer said there were no significant piles or accumulation of grain on the tracks. “There was just a trace amount of grain and soy beans evident in the ballast,” he said.

Canadian Pacific Railway provided an emailed statement, confirming a freight train hit the bear.

“CP and Parks Canada have been working very closely on preventing bear mortality in our national parks and regrets this incident occurred,” wrote spokesperson Salem Woodrow.

The results of a five-year joint Parks Canada-Canadian Pacific action plan to reduce bear mortality on the track is expected to be publicly released later this winter. The study did focus on grizzly bears, but will also benefit black bears.

The work has included studying the movements of grizzly bears through GPS collaring and considering the use of prescribed fire to create better habitat to draw bears away from the tracks.

Among other things, researchers have also been looking at the potential of fencing select hot spot sections on the railway line, using a combination of electrified mats and fences.

Local conservationists have been calling on Canadian Pacific to slow down the speed of trains in the national park, particularly in known wildlife mortality hot spots.

Jim Pissot, executive director of WildCanada Conservation Alliance, said CP has fixed the most serious leaking hopper cars, but he said evidence shows grain continues to be spilled along the tracks in the parks.

“The report on their five-year study is long overdue,” he said.

Pissot said he suspects the chances of this young black bear cub surviving are low.

“This is habitat that’s marginal at best for bears. There are a lot of complications, whether it’s the highway, railway or crabapples in backyards,” he said.

Parks Canada does not have a good handle on the black bear population in Banff National Park, but the last estimate in 2008 put the numbers at between 70 to 100, based on DNA samples from hair traps and rub trees.

At the time, it was said the estimate may have been a bit high because it likely included animals that used this area as only a small part of their overall home range. It’s long been said the Bow Valley may be a mortality sink for black bears.

“We don’t have a more precise estimate, so it’s challenging to decipher the extent the Bow Valley might act as a sink population,” Gummer said.

Over the past 10 years, the number of black bear deaths on roads and the railway line in Banff National Park has been anywhere from zero to seven a year.

“With three this yeasr, we’re within the range that’s been observed over the past 10 years,” Gummer said. “We’re doing everything we can to reduce unnatural mortality.”


Rocky Mountain Outlook

About the Author: Rocky Mountain Outlook

The Rocky Mountain Outlook is Bow Valley's No. 1 source for local news and events.
Read more



Comments

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks