Banff raccoon put down after months on the lam
The days were numbered for a masked mammal on the run in Banff National Park.
An elusive raccoon was finally apprehended and destroyed by Parks Canada staff on Friday.
Raccoons are not native to the area and this one had been eluding capture since being spotted in late August.
Perhaps it knew what fate was in store as relocation is not an option in Alberta.
“It was humanely dispatched,” confirmed Bill Hunt, Parks Canada resource conservation manager, who added having to deal with a rogue raccoon is a first for Banff National Park staff.
Hunt said the raccoon was captured on wildlife cameras several times throughout the summer and fall in and around the Banff townsite before finally being trapped near the Cave and Basin National Historic Site.
Raccoons are labelled an invasive species in Banff National Park. Allowing the raccoon, or any other non-native species, to go unchecked could have a dramatic effect on the eco-balance of that area, officials said.
“There are examples all over the world of this,” said Hunt.
“If they are able to breed you can end up with a species that is out of balance with the environment around it.
“So whether that is preying upon something that normally doesn’t get preyed upon in that way, or they simply have no natural predators and run unchecked,” he added.
“It is how they fit into the food web or don’t fit into the food web.”
It is thought the raccoon may have hitched a ride on a train or the undercarriage of a truck.
It was doubtful the animal would have survived the winter in Banff National Park as it is used to warmer climates and built-up urban areas.
Raccoons can be found in Alberta in the southeast corner of the province as well as Calgary and Edmonton, where there is an urban habitat to carry them through the colder parts of the winter.
“This is not raccoon habitat here with our snow loads and our weather,” said Hunt.
However, with a warming climate, there may be something more ominous about a raccoon sighting in Banff.
“We will be watching closely (to see) if this is just a range expansion,” said Hunt. “If raccoons continue to march farther west from where they are right now in Alberta, we will have to consider our future actions, but in this case there is a pretty clear demarcation that they just don’t get into this park.”