Trains continue to be the single biggest killer of grizzly bears in the mountain national parks, according to a recently-released Parks Canada report.
The third annual report summarizes bear encounters and mortalities from 1980 to 2009, and shows there was one bear death in 2009 when a male grizzly was hit by a train in Banff.
And while the 2010 report will not be finalized until spring, there were two more deaths on the train tracks last year – an adult male and a sub-adult female. A third bear was hit in November, but was never found.
Parks Canada officials say they continue to work with Canadian Pacific Railway to address the problem, pointing to the $1 million, five-year research plan to mitigate rail-related grizzly bear mortality in Banff.
They say strides have been made over the decades in reducing bear deaths on the roads and the need to kill habituated grizzlies, but said the railway continues to be the biggest challenge.
“We certainly don’t have all the answers yet, but very significantly, we have this commitment to find solutions for the railway,” said Pam Veinotte, superintendent for Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay.
“We continue to see bear mortalities and we continue to look at what steps we can take to keep those numbers stable and then reduced. Train collisions are where we have to focus a lot of our attention.”
The report, released this month, is put together by Mike Gibeau, carnivore specialist for the mountain parks, and Barbara Bertch, Parks Canada’s ecosystems GIS technician.
Based on the precautionary principle and best expert estimates, there are believed to be about 60 grizzly bears in Banff National Park and 80 in Jasper National Park.
The report notes that as well as the death of a grizzly in 2009, there was also a female grizzly bear and her yearling male cub killed by a train east of Banff National Park’s boundary.
This radio-collared female lived almost exclusively within Banff National Park, however, her death is not included in Parks Canada’s mortality tally because it happened just outside its jurisdiction.
In addition, a three-and-a-half year old male bear, an offspring of the same female, was relocated from neighbouring Canmore by provincial wildlife officials, but ended up being shot dead in B.C.
The report shows that between 1990 and 2009, there were 64 known grizzly bear mortalities in the mountain parks of Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, Yoho, Waterton, Mount Revelstoke and Glacier.
Of the 64 deaths, 49 were at the hands of humans and more than half were female bears. The Lake Louise area alone accounted for 12 of the human-caused mortalities.
In the decade before that, there were 55 additional grizzly deaths. These mortalities were mostly due to Parks having to kill animals habituated to garbage from open dumps.
According to the report, trains continue to be the single biggest killer, being responsible for one-third of the deaths. Highways are the second leading cause.
Between them, Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railway have 287 kilometres of train tracks through Banff, Yoho, Glacier and Jasper.
Canadian Pacific Railway is nearing completion of its $20-million unloading gate replacement program for federally-owned grain hopper cars.
In addition, CP is providing $1 million for a joint program to further explore grizzly behaviour and potential mitigating technologies and practices.
In the short-term, researchers will look at vegetation management, whistle zones, review opportunities for wildlife fencing and culverts in high-risk areas.
Through the new research program with Parks Canada, other experiments may be used in a bid to dissuade grizzly bears from searching for grain on the tracks.
Officials say rail-related causes of grizzly bear mortality is complex, noting bears are attracted to spilled grain and use the tracks as a travel route.
Other issues, they say, include seasonal bear foods beside the tracks, habitat quality, carcasses, terrain, travel conditions and snow conditions.
“The $1 million research component to this joint program will also let us look more at the behaviours of bears and reaction to trains,” said Veinotte.
“It’s a very complex strategy to touch on everything from fencing, crossing structures, vegetation management, infrastructure and continuing work on grain monitoring.”
Also of note in the annual report is a summary of bear attacks, bluff charges and threatening encounters in the mountain national parks.
In 2009, there were no bear attacks in the mountain parks, although there were five bluff charges and three encounters considered threatening, such as growling, huffs, slaps and popping of a bear’s jaws.
There have been 10 bear attacks in Banff National Park since 1990, two in Jasper, two in Yoho, one in Kootenay, one in Revelstoke-Glacier and one in Waterton.
They resulted in one human fatality and injuries to 20 people.
Although the majority of occurrences occur in July and August, the report shows the greater chance of a serious encounter seems to have been in August and September.
Veinotte said huge progress has been made in trying to keep bears and people safe, pointing to group travel restrictions, seasonal closures, temporary closures and ongoing education.
“I think this shows we are actually making a difference in terms of keeping bears and people safe and making sure those interactions are positive, not negative,” she said.
