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Printed Oct 14, 2023 • Final up to date 9 hours in the past • 4 minute learn
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BANFF, Alta. — When Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno goes out for a run in her Alberta mountain city, she wears a vest holding a can of bear spray, makes noise and retains an eye fixed out for wildlife.
The city in Banff Nationwide Park has strict guidelines round the right way to get rid of rubbish and has lately renewed an effort to supply its residents free fruit tree elimination in an try to scale back wildlife attractants.
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“We all know that you simply want a wholesome wildlife inhabitants within the nationwide park and we take that actually critically,” she stated in an interview. “We additionally know that, for guests, seeing animals safely — from a protected distance — is a vibrant and particular expertise.”
DiManno, a long-term resident who has been the city’s mayor since 2021, stated it’s all a part of coexisting with bears within the Canadian Rockies — a actuality that took a horrible flip in late September when an Alberta couple and their canine have been killed by a grizzly bear throughout a backcountry tenting journey within the nationwide park.
Parks officers have stated it’s going to possible by no means be recognized what led to final month’s assault, however they and different bear specialists famous these forms of assaults are extraordinarily uncommon.
“It’s simply heartbreaking and that positively weighs in your thoughts, due to how we reside within the nationwide park,” stated DiManno.
Almost 8,000 residents reside within the city and greater than 4 million individuals go to Banff Nationwide Park yearly.
Parks Canada posted a warning Monday for all the city of Banff as a number of grizzly and black bears have been within the space searching for meals.
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The warnings are frequent all through the nationwide and provincial parks in Alberta through the fall when bears try to placed on weight earlier than winter hibernation.
Straight east of Banff, the City of Canmore additionally points warnings when bears and different wildlife wander into city and has labored to take away its fruit bushes and different bear attractants.
Caitlin Van Gaal, supervisor of atmosphere and sustainability in Canmore, stated the city is getting public enter on a plan to assist residents coexist with wildlife.
“We’re surrounded by provincial parks, nationwide parks. The Bow Valley hall, as it’s for people, is a serious transportation hall for wildlife as effectively,” she stated.
“We have to do our half to make sure that we’re not impeding on that as a lot as potential.”
The city’s plan adopted a roundtable with Banff and different municipalities, in addition to the nationwide and provincial parks, in response to a number of bears stepping into human meals and having to be relocated or put down.
Jay Honeyman, a human-wildlife battle biologist who labored in Kananaskis Nation, a cluster of provincial parks and leisure areas west of Calgary, stated provincial and nationwide parks are getting the message out.
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“Once I go into the parks, a number of persons are carrying bear spray. I don’t imply the individuals who go to the sting of Lake Louise and take their selfie shot. I imply the people who find themselves within the backcountry or biking or mountain climbing,” he stated.
“That’s an enormous change from 10 or 15 years in the past.”
Honeyman stated it’s change into clear the 2 individuals who have been killed in Banff Nationwide Park have been skilled in backcountry journey and did all the things they may to arrange.
“If something, it was the unsuitable place, unsuitable time,” he stated.
“Typically, if persons are going into bear nation, they need to do these staple items: bear spray, teams if you happen to can, managing canines and … securing meals.”
Honeyman famous there have been a number of different deadly bear assaults outdoors the nationwide park within the Sundre and Waiparous space northwest of Calgary, together with two in 2021, which aren’t that distant from the most recent one.
“That’s an space the place 100 kilometres to the west we have now a few of the most habituated bears on the planet,” he stated. “We don’t usually see that type of behaviour in locations like Kananaskis Nation or the front-country areas of Banff the place there’s extra individuals.”
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A grizzly bear researcher who studied GPS-collared bears in Banff Nationwide Park agreed there are bears that look like extra tolerant of individuals, however parks officers have stated the 25-year-old feminine bear liable for the assault had not been collared, tagged or beforehand recognized by wildlife employees.
“This bear does have the hallmarks of a bear that was very hungry at what’s already a really hungry time of yr for bears,” stated Colleen Cassady St. Clair, a professor of organic sciences on the College of Alberta.
“That may imply it was a predatory assault, however it could additionally imply that that bear was extremely defensive of a territory that she was determined to defend.”
Backpacking in distant wilderness areas includes “a level of threat that’s low frequency however excessive penalties,” stated Cassady St. Clair.
She stated some individuals, herself included, are possible questioning these dangers now however famous there are additionally advantages to backcountry journey.
“It’s thrilling to be in wild locations with wild animals seeing lovely sights which are completely unaltered by human presence and human infrastructure,” stated Cassady St. Clair. “It’s price a level of threat and it’s definitely worth the preparation it takes.”
Parks Canada has stated there have been three recorded non-fatal encounters with grizzly bears in Banff Nationwide Park prior to now 10 years, and no fatalities in a long time earlier than the 2 final month.
— By Colette Derworiz in Calgary.
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