BEAR ACTIVITY SUMMARY FOR THE BOW VALLEY
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park) For the period: September 18 to September 25, 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
The number of bear sightings has dropped off which is likely due to the fact that less people are out using the trails now that school is back in full swing. That being said, bears are certainly still actively searching for the last remaining berries to fill their bellies with as much food as possible before they head into their dens later this fall. They will likely also start being drawn into residential areas by people allowing fruit and berries to accumulate on trees in their yards. Bears that gain access to these food sources can lose their natural fear of people, which increases the possibility of human-wildlife conflict. These bears can cause injury to people and pets and destroy property, resulting in bears being relocated or destroyed. Relocated bears generally have a fairly low chance of survival, but moving a bear in the fall is especially difficult for the bear. You can help keep bears safe and wild by removing fruit and other attractants (such as bird feeders, garbage, pet food and greasy BBQ’s) from your yard.
Photo courtesy of Neil Wells (taken on Sep.17 in K-Country).
With elk rutting season in full swing, you may hear some loud bugling! Male elk are particularly protective of the female elk they are with and they may become aggressive towards anything that comes too close. Give plenty of space to ALL ELK (at least 30 metres or 3 bus lengths), never get between a male elk and the female elk and keep pets on a leash. If an elk charges (usually because you are much too close), be prepared to use your bear spray. Try to move behind a large object (e.g. car, large tree) and keep the object between you and the elk. Never approach elk to take pictures up close as they are wild animals that need their space and they can react unpredictably!
Photo by Amar Athwal
Elk frequently hang out along trails and in wide open fields such as school yards and playing fields around town, which means you may have to choose an alternate route while out for a walk/run/ride. Parents should have a conversation with their children about giving wildlife lots of space, not trying to sneak past wildlife on the trail and calmly leaving the area if they see elk or other wildlife on their commute to school.
If you are recreating anywhere in the Bow Valley or Kananaskis Country you have to continue to be mentally prepared for possible encounters and vigilant while using the trails as wildlife can be encountered anywhere at any time. You can reduce the risk of encounters with wildlife by:
Staying out of closed areas and avoiding areas where bears have been seen or where active warnings are in place.
Making lots of noise to alert animals of your presence
Travelling in tight groups (while still maintaining proper social distancing)
Keeping pets on a leash
Being aware of your surroundings by not wearing earbuds or headphones and looking for signs of wildlife such as scat and tracks
Packing out what you pack in and leaving no trace behind when you are out on the trails. Food waste and garbage have a scent and may attract wildlife which increases the potential for human-wildlife conflicts. It is YOUR responsibility to clean up after yourself!
We all really need to remember that it is a privilege to be able to enjoy the amazing landscape that we have available to us so close by and this is a perfect time to showcase another one of the seven new WildSmart face masks that are available at Ruckusdesign! The pika mask (shown below) appropriately highlights that we need to leave no trace of our presence in the wild! If we leave food waste and garbage behind on the trails and in day use areas, it will attract wildlife which increases the potential for human-wildlife conflict. This puts both people and wildlife at risk and more often than not, the wildlife pays the price by being relocated or destroyed.
A portion of the sale of each mask will be donated to WildSmart so this is your chance to be safe, help improve human-wildlife coexistence and support WildSmart all at the same time! The masks cost $20 each, or $15 each if you buy 3 or more. Keep wildlife wild and people safe by spreading the message - get your mask now by clicking here!
With buffaloberry season coming to an end, bears will be searching for other food sources and fruit trees will be the main attractants drawing bears into residential and developed areas in town. The best practice is to remove fruit bearing trees and shrubs from your yard, however if you decide to keep your fruit bearing trees, please ensure that the fruit is removed. If you can’t reach that fruit up in the tree, no problem! We have pruning shears and extendable fruit pickers that can be borrowed free of charge to allow Bow Valley residents to remove fruit and berries from their trees. Please send an email to info@wildsmart.ca to make arrangements to borrow the fruit picking equipment. If you are not sure what to do with the crabapples, you can use them to make delicious jams, jellies and baked goods and liqueurs.
In a continued effort to reduce conflict between bears and people in Canmore, the Town of Canmore has a wildlife attractant bylaw, and they are running a Voluntary Fruit Tree Removal Incentive Program to help increase compliance. You can learn more about both of these initiatives on their website here.
Hunting season has started. Please be aware of your surroundings and stay clear of dead animals. Hunters should always carry and use bear spray as the first line of defense, even if they are carrying a gun. Read this recent article about a pair of hunters who walked away from a bear attack after successfully deploying their bear spray!
CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
Click here for the complete list of all Alberta Parks warnings and closures in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country.
Click here for the complete list of all warnings and closures in Banff National Park.
Here is a list of some Annual Closures in Kananaskis Country.
Click here for current information from Alberta Parks about visiting their parks during COVID-19. Click here for current information from Parks Canada about visiting their parks during COVID-19.
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 have already had several Canmore residents borrow our fruit picking equipment to help them remove all the fruit from their trees! For those of you who have crabapples but do not know what to do with them, look no further. A new cider company that is in the midst of starting up in Canmore, Core Values Cider Co., is on the hunt for crabapples! Their team will be happy to take them off your hands and will even help with fruit removal. If you have crabapples up for grabs then please contact Core Values Cider Co. at info@corevaluescider.ca or by phone at 403-493-5441.
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