Bear Activity: August 12 to 18, 2011

BEAR SUMMARY FOR THE BOW VALLEY
(Banff National Park to Bow Valley Provincial Park)

For the Period: August 12 to 18, 2011

The following summary 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.

BEARS CAN BE ENCOUNTERED ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!

Be aware of your surroundings, know how to reduce the likelihood of encounters, and be prepared should an encounter take place. Always use caution by paying attention to signs of bear activity such as scats, tracks, and digging. Make lots of noise while hiking; hike in groups when possible; carry pepper spray; and obey closures.

Education Tidbit

There are times when it is necessary to remove bears from an area. This is usually because of public safety concerns; the bear is displaying unwarranted aggression towards people or is predating on domestic animals for example. Removal can include euthanization or moving the bear to a new area. This is known as relocating the animal. Relocation is controversial and at times unsuccessful as it moves the bear into another bears territory and the bear will often continue the behavior it was initially relocated for. GB 116, a young male grizzly bear was relocated out of the Bow Valley in June for breaking into a barn and killing a domestic sheep. He was relocated to the Grande Cache area of northern Alberta and outfitted with a GPS collar to monitor his daily movements. As of last week, he has stayed out of trouble and had moved into the Willmore Wilderness area. At the moment, it seems that this bears relocation has worked out favourably.

Bear Activity Trends

There has been no grizzly activity reported this week in the Bow valley. Black bear activity has been reported at Quarry/ Grassi Lake, TSR Resort, TSR South, Bow Flats, Deadmans Flats, Heart Creek, and Bow Valley Provincial Park Zones.

Important Notes

It is berry season and bears are in the valley bottoms. Please remain attentive and be on the lookout for bears feeding trailside.

Bear Cautions and Closures

Please report all bear sightings to 403 591 7755.