Editor: This letter is regarding the article, Dozen black bears relocated from Canmore (Sept.2).
Because of an almost complete berry crop failure, it was fairly evident early on that it would be a tough year for most bears here in the central Rockies. Especially for black bears that highly depend on various different berry species during late summer and fall to fatten up for their long winter sleep.
As a “bear smart” community, could we have been better prepared for bears entering town during this critical time of year for them? I think so.
I greatly appreciate the hard work by conservation officers, biologists and citizens over the past years trying to make life easier for bears in the Bow Valley, specifically in regards to garbage management.
I strongly disagree with Jay Honeyman’s comment, “When bears get into attractants, the only option we have is to relocate or euthanize …”
As a human wildlife conflict specialist, I would think he would try to come up with ways to resolve a conflict for both species involved, not only for our two legged one.
While relocating bears may be a better solution than euthanizing them, it’s been known for decades that such relocations most of the time don’t have the desired effect, which is mainly the survival of the bear(s) in question. Reasons being are unfamiliar habitat, competition by resident bear of a new area, homing instinct, etc.
Euthanizing a bear is obviously the least likely method for achieving the above stated goal of saving bears. So both of the “management actions” mentioned by Honeyman are obviously not working for bears.
Part of the solution could certainly be the removal of attractants such as fruits trees within town limits. That, however, is only part of the solution.
I strongly believe that the second part of the solution could be one that has been successfully used in other parts of the world. Diversionary feeding. In the case of the Bow Valley, this could mean to plant native fruit trees such as crab apples or mountain ash in specific locations around the town of Canmore, far away enough that the potential for conflict with humans is reduced. This would prevent bears from wandering near town and provide them with the opportunity during bad berry years to find the needed alternative.
Some voices would likely see this as an unnatural way of managing bears. I don’t. With our towns, trails, campgrounds and many other human facilities, we humans occupy the highest quality habitat for black bears in the bow valley.
This is a question about respect for other forms of life. For bears, it is also a question about life and death, nothing more and nothing less.
I think we greatly owe the bears an alternative to relocation or to a death sentence, when all they are trying to do is to fill their bellies and survive.
Reno Sommerhalder,
Banff
