BEAR ACTIVITY SUMMARY FOR THE BOW VALLEY
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park) For the period: June 5 to June 12, 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 continues to be lots of wildlife activity throughout the Bow Valley and bears have been seen daily in some neighbourhoods feeding on dandelions in peoples' yards, as well as in the ditches along trails, roads and highways. 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. Motorists need to obey speed limits and slow down when passing wildlife feeding roadside.
Black bear roadside feeding on dandelions.
There continue to be reports of people getting charged and chased by aggressive female elk along pathways and trails in and around town. It is elk calving season and a mother elk will aggressively protect her calf by kicking and charging at you if she feels threatened. Stay at least 30 metres (3 school bus lengths) away from all elk, stay on open trails instead of walking through dense vegetation, keep pets on a leash and carry bear spray! There were two reports this past week of bear spray being successfully deployed to scare away aggressive elk.
There were also several cougar sightings this past week in the valley bottom along the river. This is likely due to elk calving season and the presence of newborn calves that can attract predators such as bears, cougars, wolves and coyotes into town who are looking for an easy meal.
As was already mentioned, bears have been seen daily in people’s yards feeding on dandelions. This article has some good tips and reminders about the importance of properly storing/managing attractants at home, on the trail and while camping in order to help keep wildlife wild and people safe! It is YOUR responsibility to make sure that unnatural attractants such as garbage, compost, greasy bbq’s, bird-feeders, pet food and fruit bearing trees and shrubs are removed so that bears do not have a reason to linger in your yard, resulting in bears being relocated or destroyed.
BEAR SPRAY
It was a bit concerning to find out that last week when officials were investigating the black bear bluff charge incident at Jura Creek Trail, they noticed that very few people on the trail were carrying bear spray. As such the focus of this bear report will be on bear spray and we will be answering some common questions.
Does bear spray actually work? YES! Definitely watch the video with Mya in the Paws-itive news section of this report! Bear spray is the most effective way of deterring a bear at close range and bear spray has also been shown to be effective at deterring other wildlife such as cougars, wolves, coyotes and elk, and it should be carried while walking on well-traveled trails, including the trails in and around town. This past week, there were two reports of people that were able to successfully deter very aggressive female elk using their bear spray!
Does bear spray hurt the bear? Bear spray is non-lethal and the effects on the bear may last anywhere from 10-45 minutes. The bear will be disoriented, confused and will likely run away as it will have difficulty seeing and breathing, giving you time to get out of a dangerous situation.
In fact, by spraying a bear that approaches or charges at you with bear spray you might actually be saving its life! When bears get too close to humans, it is the bear that pays the price by getting relocated (only about 30% successful) or destroyed. By spraying the bear, you are giving it a negative stimulus (experience) to teach it a lesson that it is not OK to approach humans and hopefully this will teach it to stay away from people in the future.
What happens if we spray ourselves? It is not pleasant, and it will sting your eyes, nose, throat and skin and may make you cough and gag. This may last up to two days but the effects will eventually go away. People have so much exposed skin (not fur like a bear) so it affects us longer. Read the first aid instructions on your can of bear spray and wash your skin with cool, clean running water. Do not rub if it gets on your skin.
How to carry it? Bear spray should be carried in an easily accessible location such as a chest or hip holster or a belt, not in your backpack! Whatever option works best for you (most efficient and quickest) is recommended and my personal preference is a belt. Here are several types of examples of holsters that are available at Kodiak Wildlife Products.
It is not enough to just carry it, you need to be mentally prepared to use it and physically able to pull it out and use it in time when necessary. Surprise encounters with bears can happen in under three seconds so you need to be confident, fast and efficient at pulling out your bear spray. PRACTICE removing your bear spray quickly, but stop short of spraying; conserve your supply for close encounters. See more practice suggestions below.
Does bear spray expire? YES! Be sure to check the expiry date on your can as bear spray normally expires after 2-3 years. In addition to checking the expiry date on the can, be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions on the back of the can for proper use of your spray.
Why does bear spray expire? Bear spray is made with capsaicin, a chili pepper extract, and it's not the potency of the spray that diminishes over time. It is actually the propellant that may degrade over time and there may not be enough pressure in the can to effectively push the propellant out.
Should you use expired bear spray? NO! It is recommend that you replace your expired bear spray to avoid a situation like this. There is no guarantee that expired bear spray will work properly and you want to give yourself the greatest chance of successfully deterring a bear if/when the time comes.
Should you practice with real bear spray? It is not recommended to practice using actual bear spray as once the seal is broken, small leaks can occur in the can, reducing the life of the bear spray.
That being said, if you have an expired can of bear spray that you are planning on disposing of properly anyway, it may be a good opportunity for you to practice using real (expired) bear spray. However, if you are going to do this, make sure that you go to an isolated location far away from other people and houses (I.E. NOT IN YOUR BACKYARD, AT YOUR CAMPSITE OR ALONG A TRAIL)! Also make sure you take wind direction into account so that you don’t spray yourself.
The safest way to practice using bear spray is to buy inert training bear spray, which is what we use for our bear spray training sessions as there are no harmful effects if you accidentally spray some on yourself.
How do I dispose of expired cans? In Canmore, you can take expired bear spray to the Household Hazardous Waste area (near paint and light bulbs waste) at the 115 Boulder Crescent Recycling Depot (open every day 8:00 - 16:45). Most cities and communities have Household Hazardous Waste drop-of areas. Never put cans of bear spray in your garbage bins at home! Some designated fire stations in certain communities may accept them but this is being phased out.
Should I leave my bear spray in my car? NO! It is important to remember not to leave your bear spray in the car on a hot day as it may explode. If you must leave your bear spray in the car, store it in a bear spray safety travel container and out of direct sunlight. When not in use, bear spray should be stored indoors in a safe place out of reach of children.
An example of bear spray that exploded in a car on a hot day. It was messy!
How do I use bear spray? Watch this excellent video (available with subtitles) on How to Properly Use Bear Spray or follow this link: https://www.biosphereinstitute.org/bearspray
A bear spray survey has been conducted for the last two years in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country by Alberta Environment and Parks and WildSmart staff and the Wildlife Ambassadors.
Some of the more interesting results were:
50% (244 of 489) of respondents carried bear spray when in bear country.
59% (64 of 109) of people did not carry bear spray in areas where a Bear Warning was in place.
People were less likely to carry bear spray in front-country areas (as low as 12%) than back-country areas (as high as 95%).
The most compliant age group was 25 to 39 years old (60% or 117 of 195) and the least compliant were people aged 55 to 64 (30% or 17 of 57).
To view the complete survey results and graphs please follow this link.
Bear spray could save your life, your friend’s life and also a bear’s life!
CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
Bear Closure: Burstall Pass Day Use and Surrounding Area (including Mud Lake) due to a grizzly bear feeding on a carcass at Mud Lake.
Bear Warning: Elbow Valley Trail between Ing's Mine and Sulphur Springs Trail due to a grizzly bear in the area.
Bear Warning: Jura Creek Trail (near Exshaw) due to a group of hikers that were bluff charged by a black bear.
Elk Warning: Larch Island Area in Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park due to cow elks calving.
You may see warning signs like the one below posted in areas around Canmore where there have been regular incidents of aggressive female elk closing distance on people.
Click here for current information from Alberta Parks about visiting their parks during COVID-19. A complete list of all warnings and closures is available here for Alberta Parks in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country.
Click here for current information from Parks Canada about visiting their parks during COVID-19. 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.
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!
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
Mya Helena Myllykoski, Associate Professor at Mount Royal University, joined WildSmart's Nick de Ruyter for an online interview about how she and her son Alex survived a grizzly bear encounter that was stopped with a bite to a can of bear spray in Kananaskis Country in August 2018.
Mya was scheduled to give her presentation about their bear encounter at Bear Day on April 18, 2020 which unfortunately had to be cancelled due to COVID-19.
Surviving and thriving from this encounter, the lessons learned and gifts received are shared while highlighting the optimal mental and physical preparation needed before setting foot into our wild places.
Please note: This presentation contains images from the bear encounter that some viewers may find distressing. Viewer discretion is advised.
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