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The information below is based upon a compilation of bear information provided by government agencies and unconfirmed sightings reported by the public over the last week. It is not intended to be used as a real-time, complete record of where bears are in the valley.
BEAR ACTIVITY SUMMARY
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park) For the period: May 21 to May 28, 2021
Bears continue to be in the news and seen along trails, roads and in residential neighbourhoods on both sides of the valley. Some family groups of bears have also been spotted in the Bow Valley and K-Country so be extra vigilant and make sure to give these mothers and their cubs lots of space as they are particularly protective of their young!
Elk calving season is underway and there have been reports of mother elk chasing people that are getting too close to their calves along the river trails close to town. The best way to keep them at ease is to never try to sneak past them and stay at least 30m away - which is three school bus lengths. During elk calving season there is an increased risk of encountering predators such as bears, cougars, wolves and coyotes who are looking for an easy elk calf meal. On that note, coyotes have been seen in Canmore feeding on rabbits.
A reminder to please report any sightings of a bear, cougar, wolf or any aggressive wildlife in the Bow Valley or K-Country to Kananaskis Emergency Services (KES) at 403-591-7755. They prefer to get the reports first hand from the people who actually see the wildlife.
VIEW CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
Grizzly bear with cub seen down in K-Country on May 26, 2021. Photo taken by Susan Minifie
SOME THINGS TO ‘BEAR’ IN MIND
Safety in Numbers: In the past couple of months there have been several bear attacks and close encounters with people involving bears and cougars in the news. One theme that is common to all of these incidents is they involved people who were out enjoying the outdoors alone.
Travelling in a group (ideally 4 or more) greatly reduces the risk of encounters, and small groups of one or two seem to be more vulnerable. In group you generally make more noise, you are more intimidating for wildlife, and there are more people around to help out in case of an emergency.
In a research article titled “Fatal Attacks by American Black Bear on People: 1900-2009,” it was found that 91% (49 of 54) of the fatal attacks occurred on parties of 1 or 2 persons and 69% (37 of 54) were on parties of 1 person (see image of Figure 5 below). Note: this study did not include grizzly bears.
Two of their findings that are important to highlight are:
The number of people in parties where a person was fatally attacked suggests that parties of 1 or 2 people are more likely to be fatally attacked than are larger parties. Also numerically larger parties are probably louder and more intimidating and better able to fight off a black bear attack.
No one who was killed by a black bear had bear spray. Nor was bear spray available for other party members to deter the attacking bear.
Source: Herrero et al., Fatal Attacks by American Black Bear on People: 1900–2009. Journal of Wildlife Management 75(3):596-603; 2011; DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.72
Kananaskis Conservation Pass: Starting June 1st, all vehicles stopping in Kananaskis Country and provincial sites in the Bow Valley Corridor will need to purchase a Kananaskis Conservation Pass. Passes go on sale at 9am on June 1.
Elk Calving Season (May-June): People need to be extra vigilant of mother elk that will be hiding their calves in dense vegetation near parks, fields and trails. Mother elk can become very defensive and will aggressively protect their calves by kicking and charging at you if they feel threatened. The presence of newborn calves can also attract predators such as bears, cougars, wolves and coyotes into town who are looking for an easy meal. This increases the chance that people visiting these areas may encounter predators who are either feeding on or searching for calves. Carry bear spray, keep your pets on a leash and leave at least 30 metres of space between yourself and all elk.
Here are some simple things you can do to stay safe in bear country!
BEARS IN THE NEWS
In another tragic incident, a woman died on Tuesday evening in an apparent bear attack near Water Valley (60 km NW of Calgary city limits).
Although this video comes from B.C, it is very relevant to the Bow Valley! Remember to remove all attractants that may draw bears into your yard looking for an easy meal including bird feeders, food, garbage, pet food, greasy bbq’s and fruit trees.
Food for Thought?
Volunteer Wildlife Ambassador Sandy with some gardening tips.
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
Parks Canada and Banff National Park have created a great video below that talks about how your actions matter to help keep people and wildlife safe!
You can also watch the six individual videos they created on the following topics: Never feed wildlife, dispose of all garbage, safely view wildlife, obey speed limits, respect area closures and keep dogs on leash.
Please remember BEARS CAN BE ENCOUNTERED ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!
Report any sightings of a bear, cougar, wolf or any aggressive wildlife in Kananaskis Country or the Bow Valley to Kananaskis Emergency Services at 403.591.7755