Skip to content

Wildlife warnings issued in valley

Heightened bear activity has forced wildlife officials to issue several wildlife warnings in Banff National Park and on provincial park lands around Canmore.

Heightened bear activity has forced wildlife officials to issue several wildlife warnings in Banff National Park and on provincial park lands around Canmore.

“We have numerous bears wandering around the valley right now,” said District Conservation Officer Glenn Naylor. “One theory is that there is so much snow up high, the bears are staying low in the valley.”

At least four grizzly bears have been sighted in the Bow Valley and most are uncollared and untagged, so wildlife officials are unsure of their exact whereabouts.

Conservation officers are still trying to catch a female grizzly bear near the Canmore Nordic Centre. The grizzly was collared last year, but her transmitter has stopped working.

That means trail users must always remain vigilant, regardless of where they are.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of hike you’re on, expect you’ll see a bear,” Naylor said.

A cinnamon-coloured black bear with a cub has taken up a home range at the Nordic Centre and has been sighted several times. She has a black cub in its second year with her.

“We’ve had no issues with her, just lots of sightings,” Naylor said.

“But in that area, you can encounter a bear at any time.”

Managing bears at the Nordic Centre has become tricky due to the large network of trails.

“Once you move them off one trail, they move onto another,” he said.

Now that Highwood Pass is open, Naylor said several bears on Highway 40 – several of which have cubs – could be encountered.

In Banff, a mother and three cubs has been spotted at least seven times on Sundance Trail, west of the Cave and Basin.

The bear, known as Bear 64, has frequented the area for some time and is well known to Parks officials. She is about 22 years old and also had her radio collar fail.

There have been no plans to close the area, as the bear has not exhibited any aggressive behaviour.

“The bear’s behaviour has been excellent. We’re going to allow people to go in, but remind them to travel appropriately,” Steve Michel, a Parks human wildlife specialist said. “She’s an ideal bear for this part of the world.”

Travel in groups, making noise on the trail to alert the bears of your presence, carry bear spray and keep dogs on leash.

“She uses the area each spring looking for elk calves. There have been several sightings, but no incidents,” said Michel.

It’s typical for Bear 64 to stay in the region, however Michel is unsure how long she’ll remain in the area.

“It’s consistent with previous years, but whether it persists remains to be seen,” Michel said.

“There is a lot of grizzly movement right now. It’s breeding season, so you see a lot of pairs,” said Bow Valley Wildsmart program director Kim Titchener.

She echoed Naylor’s sentiments that bear encounters can occur anywhere.

“Even on the Grassi Lakes trail, you transect a bear corridor. We need to respect the wild areas, and if you encounter wildlife, pick another trail”.

Given the high rate of wildlife mortality roadside, she also wants drivers to be careful.

“Slow down and watch the road and you could save a bear’s life,” Titchener said.

Bear sightings and encounters in Banff National Park should be reported by calling 403-762-1470. Outside of the park, wildlife sightings and encounters should be reported at 403-591-7755.


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