It doesn’t happen often, but a wolf expert isn’t surprised two bold wolves hunted and killed a deer in a Banff neighbourhood.
Cougar Street residents saw the harsh, yet beautiful display of Mother Nature during an Aug. 11 evening.
Lu Carbyn, University of Alberta professor and wolf biology expert, sees the in-town kill as “opportunistic” and not out of desperation.
“Under some circumstances there may be a prey available in that setting so they take advantage of it,” he said. “At this stage, the young that were born in April are beginning to move around with the adults and so that would mean the wolves as a pack would be more mobile … they’re more conspicous now.”
Usually pack hunters, it’s not unusual for a pair of wolves to be hunting together, said Carbyn.
The wolf duo fled into the cover of the forest as Parks Canada members arrived at the scene to move the female deer carcass from the road, said Christina Tricomi, spokesperson at Parks Canada in an email.
“The deer carcass was moved to a remote location away from town where it could be found by other carnivores a safe distance away from human activity,” she wrote in an email.
Tricomi said no witnesses observed the initial attack and observations of the carcass suggest it wasn’t a vehicle strike.
There is no heightened safety risk in town, but residents and visitors should always take appropriate precautions on a year-round basis, Tricomi added.
Bear cub killed on train tracks in Banff
A black bear cub was killed last week after being struck by a Canadian Pacific train in Banff National Park.
The mother bear dashed across the railway on Aug. 12, but a male cub couldn’t dodge the train, said Parks Canada spokesperson Christina Tricomi.
“Parks Canada chased the mother away from the scene and moved the carcass a safe distance away from the rail to avoid the mother bear or other wildlife being attracted to the site on the railway,” Tricomi said in an email.
