Not to freak anybody out here – and that includes locals and visitors alike – but it seems bears are everywhere these days.
In fact, to rip a couple of lines of lyrics from The Royal Guardsmen band:
Bears … everywhere, beware, look out, look out …
Bears … they don’t care who they scare; you better beware.
Not to make light of the situation, but after a couple of what we’ll call extremely fortunate escapes from bear attacks, in the Waiparous area and right here in Canmore, with buffalo berries ripening all over the place (bears relish them), trail closures in Canmore and with a Kananaskis Country-wide bear warning now issued, it would make sense to possibly curtail backcountry excursions in the near future.
That’s not likely to happen, of course, because as we’ve seen, even with vast areas under avalanche warnings in winter, there are those who feel compelled to venture out.
But, with our Bow Valley about to be swarmed by visitors for the long weekend, we would ask that people at least exercise more caution than they normally might.
And the thing is, it’s not only those who venture into the backcountry that need to be concerned; it’s everyone. Just like the only predictable thing about bears is that they’re unpredictable, bears are about as likely to be found in close proximity to our towns as in more remote, pristine wilderness areas.
In other words, a bear could be right around the corner from you, concentrating fully on eating as many buffalo berries as possible while they’re available. This could be alongside a trail in town, as well as the backcountry.
This is why mountain bikers, in particular, must be bear aware when out on their mechanical steeds. Because bikers move much more quickly than hikers, say, they have the ability to come upon a bear much faster, possibly spooking it and causing an aggressive response.
Females, of course, may well have cubs with them and have little patience for the approach of humans.
As federal and provincial wildlife managers constantly recommend, please have a clue as to how to move about in bear country – and be armed with bear spray.
Yes, a canister of bear spray does cost a few bucks, but in the case of a female cyclist attacked in Canmore last week (whose friend used bear spray to cause the bear to leave), those few bucks spent may have been the difference between life and death.
Think of bear spray as insurance. You hope you never need to use it, but when the situation demands …
Bear spray is available at numerous retail locations in the Bow Valley, and it is good for three or four years.
Like seatbelts and child seats in cars and helmets on cyclists, carrying bear spray in the mountains is a good idea.
And for all those who are camping in the area this weekend, please keep your site clean, properly dispose of waste and also be aware that there could be bears in the area.
To stay safe, exercise a little due diligence and visit WildSmart at www.wildsmart.ca for recommendations on sharing your space with wildlife, how to gauge whether a bear attack is defensive or non-defensive and what precautions to take to keep you and yours healthy.
Don’t become a statistic.
