It was a busy long weekend for a collared Banff grizzly bear who spent 72 hours in Canmore and Harvie Heights in search of food.
Bear 144, a three-year-old grizzly, stopped traffic next to the Trans-Canada Highway between Palliser and the Cross-Zee ranch on Saturday (Aug. 2). Fish and Wildlife officers hazed the bear into the woods, where he disappeared for several hours. He was later spotted on the Silvertip golf course on Saturday.
On Sunday, a resident spotted him near the Harvie Heights power lines.
“He stood up and (the man and the bear) looked at each other on the power line. The bear took three or four steps, and disappeared the other way into the woods,” said Fish and Wildlife Officer Dave Dickson.
Dickson said the bear was searching for shepherdia (buffalo berries), and his hunt took him east in search of more abundant crops.
Wildlife officials monitored his movement over the weekend, and Banff National Park said they were willing to accept him back if Fish and Wildlife decided to move him.
But on Tuesday morning, the bear was back in the National Park, heading towards his home range near the townsite.
“He got in his mind it was time to go home. He just went for a walk and ended up in Canmore,” Dickson said.
Bear 144 is likely the offspring of Bear 64 and has no history of significant human conflicts.
Bear sightings are on the rise in the area and should be reported to Kananaskis Emergency Services at 403-591-7755.
