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BEAR ACTIVITY SUMMARY FOR THE BOW VALLEY
(Banff National Park East Gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park)
For the period: October 4 to October 11, 2019
SUMMARY
Happy Thanksgiving weekend! The bears are still out and about looking for food for the next month and a half to fatten up for the winter, and bears continue to be drawn into residential areas on both sides of the valley by people allowing fruit and berries to accumulate on trees in their yards. Please do your part in keeping wildlife WILD and outside of residential areas by removing attractants such as fruit (both on trees and on the ground), grease on barbecues, pet food and garbage from your yard. Many hands make light work, so if you have family or friends visiting this weekend, have them help pick the fruit from your yard. If you are having trouble getting the hard-to-reach fruit up high, come and borrow an extendable fruit picker from WildSmart! The fruit can be used to make delicious jams, jellies and baked goods and liqueurs! Extra or unused fruit can be dropped off in the new bear-proof residential food waste bins in Canmore.
There is a bear closure for the area surrounding Cougar Creek, from BURNCO pit area to Harvie Heights due to a grizzly bear sow with cubs making contact with a hiker resulting in the deployment of bear spray. The closure includes but is not limited to the following trails: Cougar Creek, Grotto Mountain, Horseshoe Loop, Lady MacDonald, Echo Canyon, Montane Traverse, Johnny’s Trail, Meander Trail, Tidbits Quarry, Harvie Heights Ridge Traverse, Mount Charles Stewart and Outlier (see map below).
The cougar that attacked and killed an off-leash dog last week and the recent Bear Closure near Grotto Mountain serve as reminders that if you are recreating anywhere in the Bow valley be prepared and on the lookout for wildlife. Remember that they can be encountered anywhere and at anytime!
To reduce the risk of encounters with wildlife:
Make lots of noise in order to alert them to your presence.
Travel in tight groups, keeping children close by, and try to avoid hiking at dusk, dawn or at night.
Be aware of your surroundings (look and listen for wildlife and their signs, including tracks and scat) and be sure to check behind you while on the trails to make sure there are no animals following you. That includes not wearing earbuds/headphones, which will limit your ability to hear approaching wildlife.
KEEP DOGS ON-LEASH and remember to pick up after your dogs as their feces can act as an attractant for bears.
Do not leave any garbage or food items that have a smell outside as they may attract wildlife.
Carry bear spray YEAR-ROUND in an easily accessible location, know how to use it and be prepared to use it as it could save your life as well as your pet’s life! 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 along well-traveled trails in and around town. Close encounters with bears can happen in seconds so you need to be ready, as is shown in the video below. It is a great example of how bear spray was used to successfully deter a grizzly bear sow during a surprise encounter.
Elk continue to be seen along trails around town, in open fields, school yards and playing fields which means you may have to choose an alternate route while out for a walk/run/ride. A reminder that it is elk rutting season and that male elk are particularly protective of nearby female elk. They may become aggressive towards anything that comes too close. Give plenty of space to elk (at least 30 metres or 3 school bus lengths), never get between a male elk and a female elk, and be sure to keep pets on-leash. If an elk does charge 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. Parents should have a conversation with their children about giving wildlife lots of space and calmly leaving the area if they see elk or other wildlife on their commute to school.
It is hunting season. 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.
CURRENT WARNINGS AND CLOSURES
Bear Closure - The area surrounding Cougar Creek, from BURNCO pit area to Harvie Heights due to a grizzly bear sow with cubs making contact with a hiker resulting in the deployment of bear spray.
Bear Closure - Rockwall Trail and the meadow located southeast of the Peter Lougheed Discovery Centre and extending 100 meters into timber around the meadow due to multiple bears in the area.
Bear Warning - Bow River Campground due to a black bear in the area.
*Bears are not only found in closure or warning areas. You should always remain alert while walking, hiking, running and biking, and remember that bears can be encountered anytime, anywhere!
Here is a list of some Annual Closures in Kananaskis Country.
A complete list of all warnings and closures is available here for anyone visiting the Bow Valley, Kananaskis Country and Alberta Parks.
A complete list of all warnings and closures is available here for Banff National Park.
For more information on areas in the Bow Valley frequented by bears at this time of year visit our human-bear conflict summary map.
The information above 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.
AND NOW SOME PAWS-ITIVE NEWS
WildSmart was voted Best Environmental Program in Canmore! Thanks so much to the Rocky Mountain Outlook and all the community members in the Bow Valley who support us and voted for us. You can read more about it in this article. Special thanks also goes out to our amazing volunteers and partners who help us with our goal of reducing negative human-wildlife interactions in the Bow Valley and beyond!
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