Bear Report - updated on April 16, 2022

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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 (April 8-15, 2022)

(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park)

Bears continue to slowly emerge from their dens in the Bow Valley. This past week there have been sightings of a few black bears down in Kananaskis Country, and there were a couple of reports of a grizzly bear seen in the Baldy Pass Trail area today. A reminder that as bears emerge from their dens, and since we will all be sharing the valley bottoms for the next few months, there is an increased chance of encountering wildlife. To help you get prepared for possible encounters with bears, make sure you check out all the amazing bear-related resources we have and will continue posting during virtual bear week (April 9-16). Simply click on the links on each date in our events calendar and enjoy the content.

 
 
 
 

You can also submit your report using the Report-A-Poacher Online form or contact your local district Fish and Wildlife office.

VIRTUAL BEAR WEEK

So far during Virtual Bear Week 2022 you have learned a lot of safety information about bears, but these next few posts will focus more on how your actions can affect wildlife, as well as hopefully give you some things to reflect on to help improve human-wildlife coexistence. As such, we will be providing a BONUS day of Virtual Bear Week content on April 17 so tay tuned for that!

Just in case you have missed any of the content that has been posted so far during Virtual Bear Week 2022, here are some easy ways to find it:

  1. You can see all of the Virtual Bear Week content posted so far by clicking on our event page. Simply hover your mouse over any of the dates in our events calendar and then click on the title of the content you want to view and enjoy!

  2. You can go back and view our daily releases so far on social media via Facebook and Instagram.

  3. The next content will be posted at 7pm tonight (on our events page, Facebook and Instagram) and then again at 10am and 7pm on Saturday and Sunday this Easter Weekend!


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