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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: June 11 to June 18, 2021
Bears continue to be seen feeding on grass and dandelions in backyards as well as in the ditches along trails, roads and highways throughout the Bow Valley and K-Country. There have been multiple bear sightings on popular hiking and biking trails on the North side of the valley (Montane & Horseshoe area) and there is a bear warning in the area between the dog pond behind Quarry Lake Dog Park and the Rundle Forebay. Please remember that bears can be encountered anywhere, anytime (not just in the areas listed above) so you should always be expecting to run into a bear whenever you head out on the trails in the Bow Valley!
Elk calving season continues to be in the news as there were several more reports of aggressive elk charging and chasing unsuspecting people waking past them in the wrong place at the wrong time along sidewalks, pathways and trails in and around town. Predators such as cougars and bears are drawn into town and the valley bottom looking for an easy meal - newborn calves.
During elk calving season a mother elk will aggressively protect her calf by kicking and charging at you if she feels threatened. The best way to keep them at ease is to stay at least 30m away - which is three school bus lengths - never try to sneak past them! Stay on open trails instead of walking through dense vegetation, keep pets on a leash and always carry bear spray and be prepared to use it when recreating in the Town of Canmore. Bear spray can be used to deter aggressive charging elk.
Photo by Candice Clarke
VIEW CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
The Elk Calving Warning remains in effect for Canmore. Some elk calves are already mobile and moving around with less defensive mothers, however there continue to be other cow elk dropping their babies across town and showing aggression towards people who are getting too close!
Please report urban elk calves that have been placed near developed areas by their mothers to KES immediately by calling 403-591-7755. Do not get involved yourself or attempt to approach or move them as the mother elk is likely nearby and will aggressively protect her calf.
SOME THINGS TO ‘BEAR’ IN MIND
Remember to give wildlife the space they need, which is at least 100 metres for carnivores such as bears! That includes bears feeding roadside, elk feeding along trails, squirrels looking for food and bighorn sheep standing in the middle of the road! The safety and well-being of wildlife is far more important than you getting that perfect picture. Be sure to slow down appropriately while passing wildlife roadside but do not stop. Stay in your vehicle and keep moving to avoid putting any unwanted stress on the animals. Never feed wildlife or encourage wildlife to come closer to you or your vehicle! That includes smaller animals such as squirrels when you are out having your picnic!
Be alert and give wildlife space! Here is a picture of a bear from 100 metres away, the MINIMUM distance that we need to keep between humans and bears!
BEARS IN THE NEWS
A man was attacked by a black bear at a remote camp in Northern B.C. He will be fine and luckily he had friends nearby to help him. Bear spray probably would have come in handy if he had some accessible.
A bear has been euthanized after accessing food near a school in B.C., in a situation that is very relevant to the Bow Valley.
A determined bear followed its nose to great heights into a heron’s nest for a tasty meal.
Great to see animals getting along in this cute video of a bear and coyote out for a walk in Florida.
WildSmart was on Global TV yesterday to talk about elk calving season warnings and managing risk while enjoying the outdoors.
Food for Thought?
What are the Bears eating today? by Derek Ryder, Volunteer Wildlife Ambassador & IGA Interpretive Guide
It is now mid June; EVERY bear is awake and has migrated down to the valley bottoms. Sightings of bears in towns and along roadsides have increased. Part of this is because it’s elk calving season, and a bear getting their teeth on a baby elk would be great for the bear (not so much for the elk, but then there’s a lot more elk than bears). However, bears aren’t that great when it comes to hunting, and in general, they get FAR more energy from plants than meat. Now is the time of the year for one of the “Top 5 Plant Foods for Bears in the Bow Valley”: Dandelions.
In case you haven’t noticed, Dandelions grow everywhere people are. That’s because the Dandelions you see, Taraxacum officianale, are not native. There are two native dandelions: the Alpine Dandelion (another Taraxacum species) and the “False Dandelion” (which is not a Taraxacum, so not a dandelion, despite being named one). The native species are only found in the high alpine, and are FAR outnumbered by the common, lawn variety Dandelion.
Native to Europe and Russia, the first Dandelions in North America were intentionally brought over on the Mayflower! Basically all parts of the plant are edible, and they’ve been a significant part of human diets for much of recorded history, including the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks and Chinese. From wine to coffee to salad greens, people have eaten a lot of dandelions despite their diuretic properties. You can even make rubber from the latex in the flower stem (though the latex itself is a laxative). As a result, people took Dandelions with them as they moved around the planet.
Bears like the yellow flower best, though have been recorded digging for the roots. You can see Grizzly 136 chowing down on Dandelion flowers on the side of my yard in the photo. He spent a happy few hours in my hamlet eating every Dandelion flower he could find. The flowers are full of protein and carbohydrates, are sweet and full of vitamins as well. And, like all the best bear food, are very, very plentiful in the right spaces. Dandelions are one of the first flowers out in late May and stay in flower through June and into July, when other berries start up.
It should come as no surprise that the scat of a bear eating Dandelions will show signs of yellow, though less than you might think, as Dandelions are readily and almost entirely digestible. Generally, Dandelion-filled scat is a pale greeny-brown with some yellow flecks as shown in the picture.
Dandelions like disturbed soil, need a lot of sunlight, and are where people are. I just described roadsides, and that’s why many of the bear sightings that have occurred in the last while (and will occur for the next few weeks) are beside the road. Dandelions spread like crazy along roadsides and in ditches, and occasionally along trails, though generally not too deep into the forest, as a forest isn’t a great habitat for them. So roadsides are where the Dandelions are, and where the bears are for the next while, making the risk of roadside collisions a big risk everywhere. The wildlife fences along the TransCanada are good at keeping ungulates out, but are readily climbed by bears. At least one roadside black bear death near the Sunshine turn off in 2019 was due to bears climbing the fence to get dandelions in the median and on the shoulders.
When we talk about “controlling attractants”, a lot of folks think of crabapple and other fruit trees, but Dandelions also qualify, especially if you’re proximal to the forest edges in town. We’re never going to eliminate this invasive plant, however, so hand digging, and simply plucking the flowers each day, both work, and are better strategies than chemical ones, for obvious reasons. These days, I pick over 200 flowers from my lawn each DAY.
I think there’s a degree of irony that bears here (and bees, too) have come to rely on an introduced species for their survival. But bears are pretty adaptable, and if they weren’t chowing down on something we basically planted for them, they would find the “next best thing”.
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
In an effort to reduce conflict between bears and people in Canmore, the Town of Canmore is running their voluntary fruit tree removal incentive program again. Homeowners are invited to express their interest in participating in the program which will cover 50% of the cost of removal to a maximum of $300 if you use an arborist or tree removal service to remove your tree. Learn more about the program including eligible areas.
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