Bear attacks are rare, but when they happen, bear spray can save lives.
With many bears in the Bow Valley now feasting on ripe buffalo berries, including well-known grizzly bear 148, wildlife officials are beyond frustrated that so many residents refuse to carry bear spray.
Canmore residents are calling for 148 to be protected when she’s on provincial lands, but provincial wildlife officials say the public is not playing its part when hiking, running and biking around town.
Officials stress that people need to do everything they can to avoid a bear encounter in the first place, like making lots of noise, being alert, travelling in groups and keeping dogs on leash, noting bear spray can save lives – and bears’ lives.
“It’s absolutely shocking how many people are not carrying bear spray,” said Jay Honeyman, human-wildlife conflict specialist with Alberta Environment and Parks.
“If you’re not going to responsibly use these areas, you’re not giving her (148) and other bears much of a chance.”
Bear spray, especially at close range, temporarily and harmlessly stops a bear’s ability to smell, breath, see, hear and think clearly. The unusual sound of deployed bear spray can sometimes be enough to startle a bear off.
Studies in North America have shown that bear spray is effective in deterring bear attacks in most cases.
One study of bear encounters in Alaska found that 98 per cent of those who use bear spray were uninjured by the bear. The remaining two per cent received only minor injuries that required no hospitalization.
In March this year in B.C., a bear mauled a forestry worker on the central coast near Drainey Inlet, about 400 kilometres northwest of Vancouver. Another man on site was carrying bear spray and was able to stop the bear attack, saving the man’s life.
In June, a rare spate of four black bear attacks in Alaska resulted in two people being killed. There have only been six fatal bear attacks in that state in the past 130 years.
Two men were riding in a forested area near Anchorage when one of them was attacked, but the other man was able to scare off the bear with bear spray and save his friend’s life. It’s thought the bear may have been protecting a nearby cub.
That came a week after two fatal bear maulings near Anchorage. A woman was killed by a bear as she was collecting geological samples. Her colleague was injured. Neither had bear spray. The bear was killed later that day.
That fatality came a day after a 16-year-old was chased and killed by a bear while he was competing in a trail run. The teen was not carrying bear spray. The bear was also shot.
Closer to home, a man in his 50s was mauled by a bear while he was geocaching near Water Valley, 75 kilometres northwest of Calgary, in early July. The bear charged and tried to drag him into the bush. He was seriously injured.
In that case, wildlife officials reported the man did have bear spray, but wasn’t able to get to it. It’s not clear where he was carrying his bear spray, directly on him or in a backpack.
Kim Titchener, president and founder of Bear Safety & More, said she considers bear spray a conservation tool, to be used in conjunction with other bear smart practices like making lots of noise, travelling in groups and keeping dogs on leash.
“Bear spray is not going to stop a bear encounter, but if you’ve tried everything else, like making lots of noise and being in groups, and if you still have an encounter with a bear running at you or approaching you, you can stop that aggression with bear spray,” said Titchener.
“If you can stop that aggression, because the bear becomes concentrated on the pain they are in from bear spray, then that gives you time to get out of a situation. Many people have been saved because they had bear spray.”
Nick de Ruyter, education and outreach coordinator for Bow Valley WildSmart, said he can’t stress enough the importance of bear spray.
“I would say there’s more people that don’t carry it than do,” he said, adding he noticed the vast majority of cyclists on Legacy Trail were not carrying bear spray when he was out helping prune buffalo berries Monday (July 24).
“As a community we need to set example for visitors and tourists.”
When people aren’t in more remote wilderness areas, de Ruyter said he believes many have a false sense of security around Canmore.
“Bears can be encountered any time, anywhere, not just in the wilderness. It can be along a gravel trail by the river or the Engine Bridge or the paved Legacy Trail.”
Bow Valley WildSmart provide an educational movie on its website demonstrating how to use bear spray. Check it out at wildsmart.ca/bearspray.
