CANMORE, Alta — A prominent retired superintendent of Banff National Park and author of Bears Without Fear says the recent relocation of a young grizzly bear from Canmore was “fear-based management.”
The young male bear, weighing about 175 pounds, was caught in a trap set up Alberta Fish and Wildlife near the Canmore cemetery on June 23 and relocated several hundreds of kilometres away.
“In my opinion, this is an example of fear-based mismanagement,” said Kevin Van Tighem, who called on decades of experience, knowledge and understanding to enlighten people about their relationship with and attitude toward bears in his 2013 book.
“This bear was a neutral bear – he was comfortable and relaxed around humans and only showed assertive behaviour when he was startled at close range. He posed no threat.”
Grizzly bears are a threatened species in Alberta.
This particular grizzly bear that was removed from Canmore initially showed up in residential neighbourhoods by Cougar Creek in mid-June.
Generally tolerant of people, the bruin had been feasting on grass and dandelions in town because there was not a lot of other habitats available with the late arrival of spring and lingering snowpack.
Fish and Wildlife officers were initially alerted after receiving a call on June 15 of the bear bluff-charging an individual near Cougar Creek. The person told Fish and Wildlife officers said he had to hide behind a vehicle to escape the encounter.
However, based on an investigation, it was determined it was more of a surprise encounter.
Van Tighem doesn’t give this young male grizzly bear much chance of survival in his new home, which is several hundred kilometres away to the north and west of Canmore.
“Given that he was translocated into an area about which he has no prior knowledge and in which he will be a subordinate outsider to the established bear community, chances are he will die very soon,” he said in a Facebook post.
“In our crowded world, we need to find a way to coexist with bears, because we are everywhere now. If we can’t coexist with them, they’re kind of doomed. This kind of bear – a calm, neutral animal – is the kind we should be happy to live near, not scared of. But fear won, again.”
A 2018 Alberta study showed that only one-third of grizzly bear translocations were successful. The technical working group of the Bow Valley human-wildlife coexistence task force recommended continuing to research the effectiveness of translocations to ensure the best chance of success for translocated wildlife.
As a general rule, long distance translocations are no longer used in neighbouring Banff National Park due to low success rates, animal care concerns, and limited geography in which to move an animal where it would have a reasonable chance of not encountering similar problems.
In recent weeks, two grizzly bears were trapped and tagged by conservation officers in Evan Thomas Provincial Recreation Area in Kananaskis Country.
"The bears, a female and male, were fitted with collars and ear tags so that they could be monitored," said Bridget Burgess, communications advisor with Alberta Environment and Parks in an email.
"They are siblings and were frequenting the Mount Kidd golf course. While they originally were travelling together, they have since split and are now traveling the region on their own."
Burgess said an adult male black bear was euthanized by conservation officers near the Kananaskis Village on June 24.
“The bear had been approaching people, dogs, cars and buildings at a very close range and was exhibiting food conditioned behaviour,” she said.
When visiting bear country, it is important to follow bear-smart strategies to protect the safety of both humans and wildlife.
AEP advises people carry bear spray and know how to use it, secure food attractants, keep pets on a leash, make noise, travel in groups and never approach or feed a bear.
Wildlife encounters in provincial parks and recreation areas should be reported to 310-LAND (5263). In Kananaskis Country, please report all bear sightings immediately to 403-591-7755.
“Bear activity is currently high, with bears travelling to valley bottoms due to lingering winter conditions at higher altitudes,” said Burgess.
