BEAR ACTIVITY SUMMARY FOR THE BOW VALLEY
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park) For the period: May 22 to May 29, 2020
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.
SUMMARY
There continue to be sightings of family groups of both grizzly and black bears in the Bow Valley so it is very important that you remain vigilant while out using the trails! Make sure to give these mothers and their young lots of space as they are particularly protective of their young cubs. This is even more important for trail runners and mountain bikers who move quickly and often quietly along the trails. Make lots of noise (yell, shout) to let wildlife know you are coming down the trail and slow down to avoid surprise encounters with wildlife, especially around blind corners, at the tops of hills, or in areas with thick vegetation and poor sight lines.
This female black bear with three cubs that are in their second year (yearlings) has been in the Bow Valley for at least three years. Photo courtesy of Alberta Environment and Parks.
It is elk calving season and there have already been reports of people getting charged and chased by female elk along pathways and trails in and around town and along the river. People need to be extra vigilant of mother elk that will be hiding their calves in dense vegetation near parks, fields and trails. 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. Stay on open trails instead of walking through dense vegetation, leave at least 30 metres of space between yourself and elk and keep your pets on a leash! It is also a good idea to carry bear spray in an easily accessible location (not in your backpack) as it can be effective at deterring elk, cougars, wolves and coyotes.
There have also been several reports of urban elk calves that have been placed very close to houses and built up areas by their mothers. Please report urban elk calves to KES immediately by calling 403-591-7755. Do not get involved yourself and attempt to approach or move them as the mother elk is likely nearby and will aggressively protect her calf by kicking and charging at you if she feels threatened.
Urban elk calf in front of a garage door. Photo courtesy of Alberta Environment and Parks
Did you know that WildSmart is a program of the Biosphere Institute, a local charity? Our work relies entirely on donations and sponsors. If you would like to support our community-based efforts to promote human-wildlife coexistence, please donate!
Giving wildlife space does not just mean actively keeping your physical distance from wildlife, it also involves the things you can do (at home, on the trails and roadside) to keep wildlife WILD and away from humans and residential areas where they can get into trouble.
At home:
Keep your yard free of wildlife attractants such as garbage, recycling, bird feeders, pet food and fruit bearing trees and shrubs. Bears that gain access to these food sources can lose their natural fear of people, which increases the possibility of human-wildlife conflict, resulting in bears being relocated or destroyed. As you can see from this article, bears are excellent climbers and will go to great heights to find a tasty treat!
Click on the picture below for some tips from Wildlife Ambassador Sandy about how to be WildSmart in your garden! Follow the Wildlife Ambassadors on Instagram at @bvwildsmart.
On the trail:
Make lots of noise to alert animals to your presence!
Be aware of your surroundings and look and listen for signs of wildlife such as scat, tracks and diggings, even on well-traveled trails in and around town. Carry bear spray and be prepared to use it (even on trails in town) and do not wear earbuds/headphones as they may prevent you from hearing wildlife warning sounds.
Stay out of closed areas and trails! They are there for your safety and to give wildlife space!
Pack out what you pack in and leave no trace behind when you are out on the trails. That includes food waste, garbage, diapers, toilet paper and human waste! All of these things have a scent and may attract wildlife so bring hand sanitizer, toilet paper, gloves and extra garbage bags as it is YOUR responsibility to clean up after yourself.
Keep your pets on a leash!
Roadside:
The ditches are greening up along the highways in the Bow Valley which is drawing all kinds of wildlife (some with their new babies) into the ditches looking for green grass. Motorists need to obey speed limits and drive with extra caution and slow down when passing by animals along the side of the road! If you must stop on roadways to view wildlife, make sure it is done in a safe manner. Take your picture from a distance and move on. Do not linger at the location, NEVER exit your vehicle to take a picture and NEVER feed wildlife!
CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
Alberta’s Provincial Parks are open to vehicle access, however many facilities in provincial parks including toilets and garbage pickup remain closed at this time. A complete list of all warnings and closures is available here for Alberta Parks in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country.
Starting June 1, visitors will be permitted to access some trails, day use areas and green spaces at some Parks Canada locations. A complete list of all warnings and closures is available here for Banff National Park.
Here is a list of some Annual Closures in Kananaskis Country.
For more information on areas in the Bow Valley frequented by bears at this time of year visit our human-bear conflict summary map.
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
We are very excited to release some new multilingual resources that will help new locals, new Canadians and English as a Second language residents and visitors access important information about how to recreate safely and feel more comfortable in bear country.
Nature for Newcomers provides residents and visitors with information on wildlife safety in their native language. An additional five languages have been translated including: Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi and Punjabi. You can view and download all nine versions here.
We often talk about the importance of carrying bear spray and knowing how to use it and many of you have already watched the How to Properly Use Bear Spray video that was prepared in partnership with Alberta Environment and Parks. We are now happy to be able to offer this video with subtitles in 10 languages in hopes of increasing our reach to new audiences, and creating additional inclusive leisure and recreation opportunities for non-English speaking residents and visitors. All of these videos with subtitles can be accessed via our website and they can also be viewed directly on the WildSmart YouTube channel.
Please share these new multilingual resources with friends, family, outdoor stores, tour companies and anyone else you can think of who would benefit from learning wildlife safety information without any language barriers, and be better prepared for possible encounters with wildlife while they are outside enjoying our beautiful parks and public spaces!
These new educational resources were made possible with the generous support from Calgary Foundation.
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